6493 - OLD BLIND DOGS Play Live (2004)

OLD BLIND DOGS
''PLAY LIVE''
MAY 24 2005
66:34

1 /The Battle of Harlaw
Traditional/5:29
2 /Sky City
Rory Campbell / Gavin Marwick / Traditional/5:16
3 /The Wisest Fool
Jim Malcolm/4:48
4 /Cuilfhionn/The Rejeced Suitor
Traditional/7:27
5 /Kindcardine Lads
Traditional/3:48
6 /Breton/Galician Set
Traditional/3:54
7 /Young Edward
Rory Campbell / Jonny Hardie / Jim Malcolm / Traditional/5:16
8 /Soup of the Day
Rory Campbell/4:23
9 /Tramps and Hawkers
Jonny Hardie / Traditional/5:17
10 /The Battle of Waterloo
Jim Malcolm / Traditional/5:48
11 /Lochanside
Johnny McLellan/5:28
12 /A Man's a Man for A' That
Robert Burns/5:09
13 /A Wild Rumpus
Rory Campbell / D. Mac Leod / Traditional/4:31

Rory Campbell /Border Pipes, Gaita, Low Whistle, Vocals, Vocals (Background), Whistle (Human)
Jonny Hardie /Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Aaron Jones /Bass, Bouzouki, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Jim Malcolm /Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
Fraser Stone /Percussion

REVIEW
By Rick Anderson
As one of Scotland's finest traditional bands, Old Blind Dogs have been giving the mighty Tannahill Weavers a run for their money since the group was first formed in 1990. They boast a nearly unbeatable array of strengths: a powerful lead voice in Jim Malcom, fine vocal harmonies, a top-notch fiddler (Jonny Hardie) and piper (Rory Campbell), and all-purpose strings man (Aaron Jones), as well as the unusual but always tasteful contributions of young percussionist Fraser Stone. A live album is long overdue, and this one doesn't disappoint. The sound quality is excellent, clear and balanced, and the performances mostly bristle with energy. Only the instrumental set "Sky City" fails to really catch fire -- everything else, from a rollicking rendition of the traditional song "Battle of Harlaw" that opens the album to the gorgeous and spare "Wild Rumpus" reel set that closes it, is by turns irresistibly energetic and seductively beautiful. Other highlights include a sturdy rendition of the classic Robert Burns song "A Man's a Man for A' That," a funky arrangement of "Kincardine Lads," and a lovely set of Breton and Galician tunes. Very highly recommended to all fans of Celtic music.

BIOGRAPHY
By John Lupton
In Britain and Ireland, as in America, a number of folk music bands sprung up that have combined strong elements and foundations of the traditional with a variety of influences from other cultures and styles. Steeleye Span, the Tannahill Weavers, Fairport Convention, the House Band, Wolfstone, and others all produced music that borrows as freely from reggae, African rhythms, and American folk and rock music, as from the ancient ballads and tunes of their own cultures. Among the most striking and interesting of these bands was Scotland's Old Blind Dogs, an Aberdeen-based band that toured Europe and North America extensively throughout the '90s before dissolving in 1998. The genesis of Old Blind Dogs dates to 1990, when three veterans of the Aberdeen music scene came together after having played with each other in various other bands. Guitarist and lead singer Ian F. Benzie, the elder statesman of the band, had been involved with folk music since the glory days of the late '50s and early '60s. It was the realization that many of his favorite songs by American folk icons like Joan Baez were, in fact, songs from centuries past in his own culture that steered him toward the traditional side of the music, while becoming adept at writing his own powerful material. As a singer, Benzie has been compared to fellow Scotsmen Dick Gaughan and Archie Fisher, a master of phrasing and delivery, whether of his own songs or of classics like "The Cruel Sister." Joining Benzie in the original configuration of the Dogs were fellow Aberdeen natives Jonny Hardie on fiddle and Buzzby McMillan, a jack of all trades on bass, whistles, cittern, and just about anything else with frets and strings. Though classically trained as a viola player, Hardie became enamored of the traditional fiddle tunes he heard while traveling throughout Britain. Meeting up again with McMillan after returning from music college, they began busking together on the streets and playing in a succession of bands before forming the Dogs with Benzie. By 1992, they had gained a reputation as a band adept at mixing traditional Scottish fare with more modern material, but it was the addition of percussionist Davy Cattanach in that year that gave the band a character unlike any other of their contemporary bands and allowed them to branch out in new directions. Cattanach had played drums in a number of reggae, rock, and blues bands that McMillan had also been part of. After spending five years or so in London, Cattanach returned to Aberdeen, where he met up again with McMillan. He had never played or been involved with traditional music before, but was intrigued with the sound of the band his friend was playing in, and on being told they were looking to add a percussionist, immediately went out and got a set of congas. With the addition of the exotic rhythms Cattanach brought to the band, they were able to explore new ways of expressing their distinctive blend of old and new. For the next five years, they toured and recorded to rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1997, a fifth Dog was added in the person of piper and woodwind player Fraser Fifield, whose work was welcomed by the band's die-hard fans as an added dimension to the sound. In 1998, Cattanach departed the band and was replaced by long-time Wolfstone drummer and percussionist Graeme "Mop" Youngson. Following their 1998 U.S. tour, though, the years of being on the road induced Benzie to also quit the band, and as the clock wound down on the century, Old Blind Dogs were on hiatus. The new millennium found them revitalized though, and the group has issued several new albums, including Tall Tails (2000), Fit? (2001), The Gab O Mey (2003), Old Blind Dogs Play Live (2005), and Four on the Floor (2007).

6492 - OLD BLIND DOGS - The World's Room (1999)

OLD BLIND DOGS
''THE WORLD'S ROOM''
OCTOBER 12 1999
46:59

1 /To the Beggin' I Will Go
Traditional/3:27
2 /The Branle
Traditional/4:53
3 /Forfar Sodger
Traditional/5:50
4 /Mill O'Tifty
Traditional/6:53
5 /Bannockburn Road
Rory Campbell/5:38
6 /Battle of Waterloo
Traditional/5:39
7 /Soup of the Day
Rory Campbell/4:03
8 /Roslin Castle
Traditional/5:57
9 /Edward
Rory Campbell/4:39
10 /The Ritual/4:39

Rory Campbell /Border Pipes, Vocals (Background), Whistle (Human), Whistle (Instrument)
Jonny Hardie /Bouzouki, Fiddle, Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Paul Jennings /Congas, Darbouka, Djembe, Percussion, Vocals (Background)
Jim Malcolm /Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
Buzzby McMillan /Bass, Cittern, Vocals (Background)
Nostradameus /Bells

REVIEW
By Rick Anderson
With harmonica and conga drums in the mix, you know that Old Blind Dogs are not the kind of traditional Scots musicians who waste too much time worrying about authenticity. But their overall sound is one that will appeal greatly to fans of the Battlefield Band and, especially, the Tannahill Weavers, a group whose vocal approach is quite similar to that of Old Blind Dogs. This band's secret weapon is piper Rory Campbell, who composed a number of the tunes on this album and who also plays a mean low whistle. Singer and guitarist Jim Malcolm does himself proud on the rollicking "Forfar Sodger" (one of many tracks that benefit greatly from the percussion of Paul Jennings), and the group's ensemble singing is especially attractive on "To the Beggin' I Will Go," the album's lead track. The instrumentals are even better; "Roslin Castle," an ancient and melancholy air, is given a minimalist and almost spooky arrangement for fiddle, whistle, and guitar, while Campbell's "Soup of the Day" is underpinned by what sounds suspiciously like a drum loop. Excellent.

BIOGRAPHY
By John Lupton
In Britain and Ireland, as in America, a number of folk music bands sprung up that have combined strong elements and foundations of the traditional with a variety of influences from other cultures and styles. Steeleye Span, the Tannahill Weavers, Fairport Convention, the House Band, Wolfstone, and others all produced music that borrows as freely from reggae, African rhythms, and American folk and rock music, as from the ancient ballads and tunes of their own cultures. Among the most striking and interesting of these bands was Scotland's Old Blind Dogs, an Aberdeen-based band that toured Europe and North America extensively throughout the '90s before dissolving in 1998. The genesis of Old Blind Dogs dates to 1990, when three veterans of the Aberdeen music scene came together after having played with each other in various other bands. Guitarist and lead singer Ian F. Benzie, the elder statesman of the band, had been involved with folk music since the glory days of the late '50s and early '60s. It was the realization that many of his favorite songs by American folk icons like Joan Baez were, in fact, songs from centuries past in his own culture that steered him toward the traditional side of the music, while becoming adept at writing his own powerful material. As a singer, Benzie has been compared to fellow Scotsmen Dick Gaughan and Archie Fisher, a master of phrasing and delivery, whether of his own songs or of classics like "The Cruel Sister." Joining Benzie in the original configuration of the Dogs were fellow Aberdeen natives Jonny Hardie on fiddle and Buzzby McMillan, a jack of all trades on bass, whistles, cittern, and just about anything else with frets and strings. Though classically trained as a viola player, Hardie became enamored of the traditional fiddle tunes he heard while traveling throughout Britain. Meeting up again with McMillan after returning from music college, they began busking together on the streets and playing in a succession of bands before forming the Dogs with Benzie. By 1992, they had gained a reputation as a band adept at mixing traditional Scottish fare with more modern material, but it was the addition of percussionist Davy Cattanach in that year that gave the band a character unlike any other of their contemporary bands and allowed them to branch out in new directions. Cattanach had played drums in a number of reggae, rock, and blues bands that McMillan had also been part of. After spending five years or so in London, Cattanach returned to Aberdeen, where he met up again with McMillan. He had never played or been involved with traditional music before, but was intrigued with the sound of the band his friend was playing in, and on being told they were looking to add a percussionist, immediately went out and got a set of congas. With the addition of the exotic rhythms Cattanach brought to the band, they were able to explore new ways of expressing their distinctive blend of old and new. For the next five years, they toured and recorded to rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1997, a fifth Dog was added in the person of piper and woodwind player Fraser Fifield, whose work was welcomed by the band's die-hard fans as an added dimension to the sound. In 1998, Cattanach departed the band and was replaced by long-time Wolfstone drummer and percussionist Graeme "Mop" Youngson. Following their 1998 U.S. tour, though, the years of being on the road induced Benzie to also quit the band, and as the clock wound down on the century, Old Blind Dogs were on hiatus. The new millennium found them revitalized though, and the group has issued several new albums, including Tall Tails (2000), Fit? (2001), The Gab O Mey (2003), Old Blind Dogs Play Live (2005), and Four on the Floor (2007).