Pig007 "Choice Company" - Pig's Ear's 4th CD album released 2002

Track List

Released 27th October 2007, Pig's Ear mark their 20th anniversary with this album, recorded at Horton Kirby with the able assistance of Ty Watling. .

1. Lady Gray (John Barden)
2. Davey Lowston (Trad)
3. Tom Paine (Steve Tilston)
4. The Magpie (Trad)
5. Doldrums (Keith Rule)/Waitin' for the day (Trad)
6. Ruins by the Shore (Nic Jones)
7. How the Mighty Fall (Sue Rule)
8. Morris & Molly's Big Day Out (Keith Rule)
9. Marco Polo (Hugh Jones)
10. Shipwreck (Dave Hardy & Lucy Sharpe))
11. Farewell to the Gold (Paul Metsers)
12. Old Harry's Books (Grant & Sue Rule)
13. Folksong (Sue Rule)
14. Jack of Kent (Huw Williams)
15. Northfields (Trad.)
16. Profits and Pleasures (Keith Rule)
17. Heaven's a Bar (Tim Laycock)

All tracks arranged and performed by Pig's Ear

Sleeve Notes

Pig's Ear played our first gig in public in September 1987 at Croydon Folk Club - which makes 2007 our 20th anniversary. As it is also the Chinese Year of the Pig, we decided to call our 20th anniversary album "Pig's Year"

As usual, it offers the listener a mix of traditional songs, songs by writers in the folk tradition, and songs by Sue Rule and Keith Rule. This album also features that rare item, a song by Grant Rule!

Lady Gray is an excellent and highly singable song about a fictional ship (and a fictional voyage!) by John Barden. This is one of two tracks featuring Lyndsey on the Northumbrian Smallpipes, with Sue on bouzouki, Grant lead vocal and Keith on the very distinctive percussion.

Davey Lowston, a traditional song from New Zealand relating the tale of David Lowriston, ship's mate on a sealing expedition in 1810. Following the normal practice in the harsh life of a sealer, Lowriston and his crew were left on an island in Open Bay in Fiordland, New Zealand. They expected the ship to return for them in a matter of months; circumstances conspired to prevent the ship's return until 1814 - four years later! By then, Lowriston was about the only survivor.

Tom Paine "wrote books to raise a nation" in the words of this overdue tribute to an unsung British hero, by Steve Tilston. The American constitution is based on Tom Paine's "The Rights of Man".

The Magpie. Grant learned this song, based on the traditional childrens' nursery rhyme, from the singing of Johnny Collins and Jim Mageean.

Doldrums Keith's tale of a sailor becalmed in the tropics - featuring Grant, on "sea", Sue on fiddle and Lyndsey on the baritone recorder. We join it to
Waitin' for the Day, a traditional ditty about the crew of an east-cost vessel of doubtful seaworthiness. Grant learned this song from Rip Rippingale.

Ruins by the Shore. The standing stones of Carnac inspired Nic Jones to write this reflective song about the transience of human achievements.

How the Mighty Fall. A Sue Rule song that sounds as if it's about trees, but isn't. This features Lyndsey on oboe, Sue playing recorder and mandola, Grant on dulcimer, Keith on percussion and Ty Watling adding bass.

Morris & Molly's Big Day Out. Pig's Ear have been playing at the Rochester Sweeps Festival for more Maydays than we care to remember! Keith's song celebrates England's May celebrations in general, and Rochester's in particular - anyone familiar with Rochester High Street can play spot the pub names in verse 4!

Marco Polo - built as a tea clipper, the Marco Polo won fame as a wool clipper on the Australia run at the time of the goldrush. Hughie Jones (of the Spinners) wrote this song recording the problems ship's captains experienced hanging on to their crews with the lure of gold temptingly close at hand.

Shipwreck This song of disaster at sea comes from an album by a group called Frogmorton, released in 1976. It was written by two of the group - Dave Hardy and Lucy Sharpe.

Farewell to the Gold. Back to the lure of the gold for Paul Metser's song about an unsuccessful prospector in New Zealand.

Old Harry's Books. A newspaper tale about copies of a Harry Potter book being burned by religious fundamentalists somewhere in the USA prompted Grant to write this song. Sue added the chorus and the tune. If you fall in the category "Christian folk who humour lack", best skip this track!

Folksong. What is, or isn't folk music? Sue would like to propose that it's music made by folk. Discuss.

Jack of Kent "Kent" in this title refers to Kentchurch on the Welsh/english border, and the sharp-witted "Jsck" is thought by some to refer to Owen Glendower - and the devil to the English King. The song is by Huw Williams; the bridge is still there, and the story can be found if you visit Kentchurch today.

Northfields. This is a shape note hymn which Grant and Sue learned at a harmony workshop run by Threadbare Consort at Bracknell Folk Festival some time in the '80s.

Profits and Pleasures. Keith found this chorus written on a pub wall and added the verses and tune. He subsequently discovered the original words were written by Henry Woodward for a pantomime called "Mercury Harlequin", first performed 27 December 1756. Since the original is a rather uninspired bit of jingoistic nonsense, we prefer Keith's bibulous bit of nonsense in praise of John Barleycorn.

Heaven's a Bar. This was also written for a play - for the 20th century rather than the 18th century - by Tim Laycock of the New Scorpion Band. We think there is some lovely imagery in this evocation of the sailor's idea of paradise, it's a great song to sing, and ends the album as we began, with Lyndsey on the Pipes.