The Corries "Live At The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh" 1971***

When I visit a foreign city I always return with a few records indicative of the local scene, mostly rock. This wasn't the case with Edinburgh and Scotland, because there's nothing particularly Scottish about, say, The Waterboys, Deacon Blue or Belle & Sebastian. Maybe you can say that about The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, because of the singer's accent. In any case, I already had all that and more, so I settled for a CD of modernized bagpipe music (The Red Hot Chili Pipers - not Peppers, get it?) and I also picked up a random LP by The Corries who I knew to be the Scottish equivalent of The Dubliners. I chose it just because it had the word Edinburgh on the title, but I guess you can't go wrong with a traditional band like that. I say band although they're just a duo, Roy Williamson and Ronnie Browne - I guess if you can call The White Stripes a band, then any duo can legitimately claim the same title. The music is mostly acoustic ballads, with voices and guitars occasionally embellished by harmonica, whistle, mandolin and other instruments. The album begins with a rousing rebel tune played on 2 bodhráns (Celtic hand drums). "Wha Wadna Fecht For Charlie" is a Jacobite martial song, urging the clans to support the claim of Charles Stuart (known in Scotland as Bonnie Prince Charlie) to the English and Scottish thrones. The Jacobite uprising was eventually crushed 300 years ago, but not forgotten it seems. Not by The Corries nor by the current pro-independence Scottish parliament. The English prefer to forget about it, but the conflict is immortalized in the British national anthem which was written around that time and whose second verse goes "...May he sedition hush/and like a torrent rush/Rebellious Scots to crush/God save King". "Liberty" is a beautiful rebel ballad, while another sturdy 18th Century anthem "Ye Jacobites By Name" displays a pacifist sentiment. Don't get the impression that it's a serious academic or political thing though. There's also joking, hilarity and humorous folk ditties like "Side By Side" and "Abigail". Many songs were already familiar to me from The Dubliners, and are presented here in not-too-dissimilar versions: "The Old Triangle", "Tramps And Hawkers" and "Maids When You're Young". The two bands were of the same time, there's no point trying to figure out who sang what first, after all it's traditional material. The sea shanty "Lowlands Away" is presaged by a lively jig on tin whistle. There are also some atmospheric ballads like "Dream Angus" (a lullaby) and "The Great Silkie", about a mythical mermaid-like creature of Scottish lore. "Lyceum Blues" is a humorous Brit blues cliché-mocking song with bluesy harmonica. The record ends on a high note with the jokey "Maids When You're Young" and another traditional Jacobite song "Bonny Dundee" - the crowd joins in clapping and singing along, and everyone seems to be having a good time. The album is a good representation of the band's live act, jokes and all, and the performances are good, but I guess a studio collection might have made for a better introduction. It is available on CD as a two-for-one together with "Sound the Pibroch"(1972), but there also seem to be enough original vinyl copies around for those who are interested...

**** for Wha Wadna Fecht For Charlie, Liberty, Ye Jacobites By Name, Lowlands Away, Bonny Dundee

*** for Tramps And Hawkers, The Great Silkie, Lyceum Blues, The Old Triangle, Dream Angus, Maids When You're Young

** for Side By Side, Abigail