FTX-253 - WASSAIL - WASSAIL

"AS I ROVED OUT" 1953-4

Two half-hour programmes in the weekly Sunday morning radio series devised by Peter Kennedy. The first series, broadcast in 1953, culminated in a live concert, or "ceilidh" as it was called, which was held in the Central Club, Peacehaven, Sussex, where the hosts were the Club landlord, Bob Copper and his cousin, Ron, landlord of the nearby Queen Victoria in Rottingdean. The programme was introduced by Brian George, head of BBC Recorded Programmes, and the guest performers included Isla Cameron, Seamus Ennis and Peter Kennedy. The second programme, recorded during the next series in 1954, was a Studio broadcast, with Spike Hughes and his Sextet, which included songs from Ewan McColl and Frances Kitching and ended with a compilation on Wassail Songs put together by Peter Kennedy.

1. Signature tune, announcer & Spike Hughes introducing -2'09"

2. TWANKYDILLO - Bob & Ron Copper with guitar & chorus followed by an introduction by Bob & Brian George -2'59"

3. REELS (The Merry Blacksmith & Mrs McLeods) played by Peter (fiddle ) & Seamus (Uillean-pipes) - 2'34"

4. THE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS sung by Bob & Ron with guitar including introduction -5'01"

5. HEREFORDSHIRE WASSAIL SONG Isla Cameron unacc. with intro. -1'37"

6. JIG played by Seamus Ennis (tin-whistle) -1'24"

7. THE MOUNTAIN DEW sung by Seamus with chorus. 2'06"

8. JENNIE JENKINS sung by Seamus & Brian with chorus -1'51"

9. JONES' ALE sung by Bob & Ron with guitar -2'10"

10. HORNPIPES (Kelly's; Off to California) played by Seamus (fiddle) & Peter (melodeon) 3'03"

11. JOHNNY TODD sung by Isla with Peter (melodeon) - 1'58"

12. THOUSANDS OR MORE sung by Bob & Ron with guitar -1'44"

13. Spike Hughes with closing signature tune -1'08"

Prog.#2

14. The AS I ROVED OUT signature tune with Spike Hughes introducing -1'13"

15. SACRAMENTO Instrumental by Sextet (arr by Spike Hughes) - 0'43"

16. THE MAGPIE'S NEST (rec from Annie Jane Kelly, Keady, Co Armagh) sung by Isla -3'42"

17. THE TROOPER LAD sung by Ewan - 2'48"

18. GAELIC LAMENT Instrumental -2'12"

19. WASSAIL SONGS intro by Peter (a) Truro rec Malpas, Cornwall (b) Emily Bishop, Bromsberrow Heath, Herfordsh (c) Phil Tanner, Gower, S.Wales (d) Fred Adams, Carhampton, Somerset -7'10"

20. CWCW (The Welsh Cuckoo) as an instrumental -1'27"

21. STILL I LOVE HIM sung by Isla - 3'20"

22. THE SEVEN WONDERS Instrumental - 1'38"

23. LORD RANDAL (Welsh version sung in English) Frances Kitching - 4'28"

Spike Hughes, the son of Irish folksong collector and composer, Herbert Hughes, arranged the songs and tunes, collected by Seamus Ennis and Peter Kennedy, for violin, viola, cello , bass flute. He had previously arranged Sarah Makem's fragment of the "As 1 roved out" song, as recorded by Peter, as the signature tune for the programme series. Brian George was head of BBC Recorded Programmes.