The Gab O Mey

by Old Blind Dogs

Overview

Old Blind Dogs' third release for the Green Linnet label finds the band continuing to explore Scottish musical traditions both old and new with traditional tune sets and original songs, as well as expanding its repertoire to include music from Brittany and Galicia (the Celtic region of northern Spain). Not all of the band's stylistic experiments are unqualified successes -- singer Jim Malcolm's blues harmonica on "Whistler is technically impressive, but not a very good idiomatic fit -- but most of them are. Highlights include an unusual rendition of the bothy ballad "Bogie's Bonnie Belle" (cf. Richard Thompson's more anglicized version on the Watching the Dark compilation) and a lovely version of the night-visiting song "Moneymusk Lads," on which the group sounds a bit like a younger Tannahill Weavers with ethnic percussion. But the best moments come on the achingly beautiful Breton and Galician tunes, and on a rollicking rendition of the well-known shanty "Rolling Home" that closes the album. Recommended. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	04/01/2003
Label:	Green Linnet
UPC:	0048248122320
Rank:	90300

Tracks

1. Monymusk Lads/The Grappa Groove
2. A Wild Rumpus
3. Bogie's Bonny Belle
4. The Whistler
5. The Wisest Fool
6. Archie Beag
7. The Breton and Galician Set
8. Lads o the Fair
9. Lochanside
10. Rolling Home

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Old Blind Dogs   Primary Artist
Jonny Hardie   Fiddle,Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Rory Campbell   Pipe,Gaita,Vocals,Low Whistle,Border Pipes,Whistle (Human),Vocals (Background)
Jim Malcolm   Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica
Fraser Stone   Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Buzzby McMillan   Bass,Cittern,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Nial Mthewson   Engineer
Rory Campbell   Composer
Jim Malcolm   Composer
Niall Mathewson   Engineer
Brian McNeill   Composer
Don MacLeod   Arranger
Susan MacLeod   Composer
Brad Wrolstad   Design
Traditional   Composer
Eilidh Shaw   Composer