In Praise of Robert Burns
Craig Herbertson
- The Deil’s Awa wi The Excise Man 1.06
- McPherson’s Rant 2.55
- Leezie Lindsay 3.53
- Scot’s Wa Hae 2.00
- The Lea Rig 2.46
- Charlie He’s ma Darling 2.10
- Song—Composed in August (Westlin Winds) 3.58
- Is There For Honest Poverty (For A’ That) 3.04
- Ae Fond Kiss 3. 20
- Jacobites by Name 2.43
- The Soldiers Return 5.17
- Green Grow the Rashes, o 3.53
- Ca’ The Yowes To The Knowes 5.15
- Cauld Blast, Warm Heart 2.37
- Wert thou in the Cauld Blast 0.59
- Auld Lang Syne 3.18
When I originally conceived of this CD I wanted to do a simple tribute to Robert Burns, poorest ploughman and richest poet, and I wanted to call it ‘Raw Burns’. This for the usual reasons: it sounded kind of punchy and the music was intended to be rough and ready. Unfortunately the beauty of Burns’ lyric, the entrancement of the music took over and it became more a labour of love, however clumsy the effort.
There is very little that can be added to the Burns canon – so many Scottish singers have approached the subject and made their own interpretations mostly far better than anything I can do. For example, I regard Dick Gaughin’s version of ‘Song—Composed in August’ (Westlin Winds) as simply unsurpassable in arrangement and execution; for many years I avoided singing it publicly because it seemed pointless. My only excuse for even attempting this song and the others on the CD is that perhaps a few more people might be pointed in the direction of Robert Burns by my humble efforts.
O, Wert thou in the Cauld Blast
O, wert thou in the cauld blast
On yonder lea, on yonder lea,
My plaidie to the angry airt,
I’d shelter thee, I’d shelter thee,
Or did Misfortune’s bitter storms
Around thee blaw, around thee blaw,
Thy bield should be my bosom,
To share it a’, to share it a’.
Or were I in the wildest waste,
Sae black and bare, sae black and bare,
The desert were a Paradise,
If thou wert there, if thou wert there.
Or were I monarch of the globe,
Wi’ thee to reign, wi’ thee to reign,
The brightest jewel in my crown
Wad be my queen, wad be my queen
Cauld Blast, Warm Heart
The auld times are gone
They were good times an’ a’
We were children then
We are children still
Let the cauld blast blow
Let it blow, let it blow
The day is done
And the night has come
Let us raise a glass
Let it be the last
For though the night has come
And our race is run
Still we call
To us one and all
Let the cauld blast blow
Let it blow, let it blow
And let it go
Musicians
Craig Herbertson: Voice, Guitar, Penny-Whistle, Fiddle – www.craigherbertson.com
Martin Bauer: Acoustic Bass – www.martin-bauer-musik.de
Ed Westerdale: Fiddle (Charlie He’s ma Darlin, Green Grow the rashes o) – www.fiddle-and-feet.de/
Matthias Keul: (Caw the Yowes) Piano, Double Bass, Lap strings, Bouzouki – recorded at Triple S studio, Cologne – www.matthiaskeul.de
Susie Marquandt: Whistling, backing vocals
Engineer: Bart el Monte
El Monte Recordings
44143 Dortmund
www.elmonte-recordings.de
0179-9628315
Cover Graphics and Layout: Bernd Bosbach
(LC) 18818, TREMBLE TOE,
CASTAWAY PUBLISHING & PRODUCTION.
With grateful thanks to Rick Field and The Clan for their kindness in part-sponsoring this CD
Rick Field
Celtic Events// F.I.S.S. SECURITY
Im Nordfeld 45
58642 Iserlohn
Vereinsvorstand
KELTIC FESTIVAL CLAN eV
Heydastr. 18-20
58093 Hagen
Craig Herbertson
Elberfelder Str 5
58452 Witten
Germany
02302 2790377
0177 4745718
All songs by Robert Burns except ‘Cauld Blast, Warm Heart’ by Craig Herbertson
Arrangements from the traditional by Craig Herbertson except ‘Caw the Yowes’ arranged by Matthias Keul.