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Making Waves
Song Information and Liner Notes

Reviews | Lyrics

 

  1. Roling Down to Rio, 1:55
    Rudyard Kipling/Peter Bellamy
  2. The Anchor Song, 3:43
    Rudyard Kipling/Peter Bellamy
  3. Sou’ Spain, 4:58
    C. Fox Smith/William Pint
  4. March of the King of Laois, 3:50
    Traditional
  5. Herzogin Cecile, 3:24
    Ken Stephens
  6. Congo River, 1:50
    Traditional
  7. The African Trade, 3:42
    Tom Lewis
  8. The Whale, 6:44
    Stuart M. Frank
  9. Ex-Sailor’s Life, 3:12
    Tom Lewis
  10. Catherine, 3:22
    Neil Dickie
  11. La Paimpolaise, 3:35
    Traditional
  12. Swallow the Anchor, 4:33
    Tom Lewis
  13. Pull Down Lads, 2:03
    John Tams

Songs and tunes come to us in many ways. Some from the tradition, some from other musicians, some are self-penned, and some even arrive by mail! La Paimpolaise arrived on a postcard from a friend visiting Paimpol in Brittany where the famous French shanty festival is held. Thanks Pam! Combining traditional and contemporary aspects, Congo River can be found in Stan Hugill’s “Shanties of the Seven Seas” while The African Trade notes the development of Liverpool from a small Merseyside village to the third largest city in the British Empire. For over two centuries the vast majority of slaves to the Americas were transported in Liverpool ships. This hightly profitable, though morally bankrupt, business arrangement was delicately referred to as the “The African Trade”.

Two other songs describe different aspects of leaving behind the life of a sailor. Swallow the Anchor (a navel expression equivalent to the cowboy’s “hanging up his guns&#148) explores the widespread naval custom of ritualized nicknames. Ex-Sailor’s Life weighs the attractions ashore against those afloat. The hornpipe therein comes by way of the B.B.C.’s Captain Pugwash.

The allure of finding out what lies beyond the horizon, as well as the realities involved in getting there, are explored in Rudyard Kipling’s Rolling Down to Rio and The Anchor Song, set to music by the late, Peter Bellamy. Sou’ Spain vividly describes a working sailor drawn back to the sea.

The Whale is a compelling account of an all too fleeting contact with another species. Our verion of Herzogin Cecile departs radically from the original tribute to the great four masted bark which held many passage records prior to wrecking on Bolt Head on the coast of England in 1936.

Because an all nautical program might lead to a musical version of mal d’mer, we’ve included a few land based items. Catherine is a bagpipe jig (sans bagpipes). March of the King of Laois (pronounced Leash) is a traditional Irish tune.

A song of carnival workers packing-up the show, Pull Down Lads, reminds us that, when all is said and done, we are entertainers whose touring schedule brings about a constant string of good-byes. All the wonderful people we meet become our extended family and we usually have to leave them far too soon.


Produced by William Pint & Felicia Dale
Recorded at OMB Studios, Port Orchard, WA., Engineered by Rob Folsom
Design/Illustration by Adrienne Robineau
ASM103D ©1992 William Pint - Tom Lewis SOCAN

Tom Lewis vocals, melodeon
William Pint vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, mandola
Felicia Dale vocals, hurdy-gurdy, pennywhistles
John Peekstok keyboards, percussion, bass guitar
Tania Opland violin
(Ex-Sailor Kazoo Chorus: Timmy Holloway, Wade Down, Sandy Bottoms, and Hal Yard)

Special Thanks to:
Lynn Lewis for band maintenance and TLC throughout the project,
Annette Brigham for linguistic coaching,
Adrienne Robineau for slaving over a hot computer,
Rob Folsom for careful, diligent work, ninety-five gallons of coffee and the cats!
Peter Bellamy for his wonderful adaptation of Kipling’s poems,
The B.B.C.’s 'Captain Pugwash' for the traditional hornpipe in Ex-Sailor’s Life,
…and you for not making bootleg copies of our recordings.
We simply couldn’t continue making music or even survive without CD and tape sales.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!