Tracks

1. The Old Miner (J. Ellswood / Davenport)
  Tip Tap Polka (Britannia Coconut Dancers)
2. Rap Her to Bank (Elliott)
3. Trimdon Grange (Armstrong / Davenport)
4. Jowl Jowl (Elliott)
5. Byker Hill / The Oyster Girl
6. The Bonnie Pit Laddie
7. Come Geordie Had the Bairn (Wilson)
8. Shepherd's Life
9. Tramps and Hawkers
10. A-begging I Will Go
11. July Wakes (Harding)
12. There's Nee Gud Luck / Washing Day /
  Keel Row / Paddy Works on the Way
13. Just a Note (McColl / McPeake)
14. Hot Asphalt
15. Finnegan's Wake
16. The Wintertime Is Coming In
17. Marching through Georgia (Work arr. Tester)
18. McCaffery (Webb)
19. The Sergeant's Returned (Davenport)
20. William Brown / Old Village Postman /
  I Don't Work for a Living
21. Early, Early in the Spring
22. My Bonny Lad
23. Happisburgh Light
24. Lowlands
25. Can You Dance the Polka /
 See Me Dance the Polka
26. Wake Up My Love (E. Booth)
27. Geordieland 68 (Davenport) /
  Wait Till the Work Comes Round (Elen)

Order for twelve pound sterling from
R. Digby, Hoppits, Fordham C06 3HR, Essex, UK

Liner Notes

Originally released as a cassette for the Science Museum in 1993, this limited issue with a number of extra tracks is offered as a souvenir of the Sussex Singers Weekend, February 2002.

Over the last 35 years or so, there have been two approaches to the presentation of traditional music, dance and song in Folk venues. [1] Traditional music is dead and therefore needs reviving using techniques mainly drawn from the European classical discipline. [2] Traditional music is alive and it still has enough guts left in it on which to build a traditional style and enjoy it socially. Bob Davenport and Roger Digby follow the second way. They have enjoyed traditonal events over the years and whenever they put together a club session or concert, they have tried to present the music in a traditional way.

They always try to make the traditional performers feel at home, cutting down on the "chat" (they will never appear on Radio 3) and giving the audience a good night out rather than sending them home feeling they have attended a further educaiton class.

Having been present at a few of their evenings at "The Empress of Russia" in North London before they both "retired" from organising a club, I appreciate their point of view, though not totally uncritically. This means I shall put asides all quotes from "Grove's Dictionary of Music", acres of "sleeve notes" and stop.

Calvin Thorpe: September, 1993.

We would like to thank all those singers, dances and musicians represented here by Percy Webb, Jack Elliott and Scan Tester, whose company we have enjoyed over the years.

Bob Davenport & Roger Digby: September, 1993.

"Wait Till the Work Comes Round" was originally produced in cassette form to supplement a series of performances by Bob Davenport and Roger Digby at the Science Museum, Kensington, in September, 1993, which formed part of a special exhibition concerning Work and Industry. It was recorded and produced by John Howson and comprises most of this reissue.

The following tracks have been added: "Tramps and Hawkers", "The Bonny Pit Laddie" (John Elliott), "The Wintertime Is Coming In", "Finnegan's Wake" & "The Sergeant's Returned" recorded by E. P. Ebenspanger, November, 2000. Scan Tester's playing of "Marching Through Georgia" was recorded by Bob Davenport in 1967.

Liner by Roger Digby. Thanks to John Howson and Andrew Jackson for technical assistance. All rights reserved, February 2001. © 1993 and 2002. HOP 003.

Many thanks to Michael Coward at Stanley Productions.