Season 479 - Destination Known

It turns out I really like doing Half Man Half Biscuit songs. Who would have guessed! I was practising this one for tonight's open mic session but then I thought it deserved some overdubs. It's a tale of gentrification, love, loss, trig points, and a pun or two.

The events in this song take place in South East Wales and Yorkshire. Lord Hereford's Knob, if you're wondering, is a mountain a few miles from the English border. I haven't climbed it, though I have been in its vicinity, particularly the nearby town of Hay on Wye, which I've visited a few times and always come away with a bootload of second hand books. I have climbed the other mountain mentioned in the song, Pen-y-ghent in the Yorkshire Dales, although I didn't see anyone in a bivvie at the time.



I've added a baritone uke and a glockenspiel, as well as some more vocals. Thanks for your enthusiastic hosting this week Liz!

I did this song years ago, for one of the earlier seasons, but it bears repeating.

I met my wife in the SF Bay Area.

Hi Liz, thanks for hosting!

Finally managed to find a few spare minutes and churn out a song. Much like Edwin, I can't turn down a chance to play a Half Man Half Biscuit track.
This one mentions several destinations, some more far flung like Capri and Picardy...some closer to home, Leek (just over the Staffordshire border) and, here in my very own Derbyshire, New Mills, Eyam (famous Derbyshire black death hot-spot) and the reason I picked this song - Matlock Bath.
Just down the road from me - it's a curious place, Matlock Bath. It thinks it's a Victorian seaside town but it's about as far from the sea as you can possibly get in this country. Beloved of bikers and lockdown breachers, it's full of chip shops, has a petrifying well and cable cars.
I've seen HMHB twice in Matlock Bath and, on one occasion, was part of their support act.
Anyway, I'm waffling...

Bit late to the party. Been a hectic week with both my in-laws in hospital. Will try and check on the week's videos later.

This song is inspired by my year (and a bit) living in the fine English city of Bristol. My narrator is not me... I hasten to add. But I have a certain sympathy with him.

Hope you enjoy:

In 1991, I spent two weeks in Newfoundland, including an overnight in southern Labrador and two days in the French territory of St. Pierre. I spent the night at the Northern Lights Inn in L'Anse-au-Clair, Labrador, where I had some excellent grilled trout and partridgeberry pie.

I got the idea to write a series of "Tales of Northern Latitude" songs, but this is only the second one I've finished in 30 years. British-style folk rock was very big in Newfoundland, and I thought it would be fun to write a ballad in that style, but about Labrador.




Lyrics:

A dark-eyed girl in l'Anse-au-Clair I once did chance to meet
Her glance a merry happenstance, her every smile a treat
We talked for hours by the shore, between the sea and sky
She said “What come you for to Labrador with winter drawing nigh?”

I said, “Dear lass, it’s come to pass my compass lost its bearing
And left me tossed upon the rocks beyond the reach of caring
But now a path I see at last, there’s naught I’d rather do
Than tarry more in Labrador that I may be with you”

Three stormy nights I held her tight, the gale was fiercely blowing
But as the year it ebbed away, I knew I must be going
She beat her fists upon my chest and begged me not to leave
She said “Then come no more to Labrador since you’ll not be for me”

Now on the waves I ply my trade, haul cargo back and forth
And find my eyes oft stray from course and look toward the north
Of all mistakes a man may make, the only one I grieve
Is sweet Eleanor in Labrador, who I was fool enough to leave

Liz has asked for the back story to this so here goes.

In 1964 my dad was posted overseas to Singapore ,so we flew in a "whispering giant",a bristol britannia turbo prop belonging to British Eagle airlinesm.
We stopped at Istanbul and Bombay where we deplaned and sweltered in unaccustomed heat and eventually deplaned for a three year stay
in Singapore.

At the end of the third year my parents decided to travel back to Britain on a cruise ship and selected the Achille Laura. She later became infamous in the '70s as the first (and possibly only) ocean liner to be hijacked and later in the 80s she sank !. I swear this was nothing to do with my travelling aboard a beautiful and sleek ocean liner!!
To catch said ship we had to fly to Australia where we stayed a week in a motel in Perth before boarding the Achille Laura at Freemantle Harbour.

Now the Suez Canal was closed due to some political posturing of one sort or another so we came home a different route taking in Cape Town and Teneriffe on the way before finally diembarking in Southampton and finally Ilkeston to settle in Nottingham for just over a year . Until Dad got a posting to Hanover.
I went to boarding school on the Isle of Wight and began my association with my last entry....and a life in Germany,but that's a tune for another day !!

The elusive fowl is a much later invention but seemed to fit this song as a ploy to hold it all together. Or not !




True story,well have you seen one !!

Detroit for Rock and Roll

Lots of ideas for this theme, but have to come back to my kind of hometown Detroit. Although this one was written by a guy from Long island, I chose to do the version by one of the Motor City's finest - Mitch Ryder - backed by a band with the same name as the city. Jeez, I love this song.

Linden Street is just outside of Harvard Square. I used to walk dogs who lived on Linden Street. More significantly, it

!2! I said 12 submissions since last I wrote! 5 wonderful originals! Can you imagine? 7 fabulous covers, too! I'm so overwhelmed. Look at all of you. Just fantastic. A recap:

Andy with Texarkana, which is great, but, the story is greater, so go read it.
Chris D with a charmer about life on the river Thames.
Ylle with a beautiful, visually and aurally, song about Kadriog Park in Estonia.
Val with Y'a D'La Joie (there is joy), and, there is.
Edwin with another fantastic Half Man, Half Biscuit entry entitled, wait for it, Lord Hereford's Knob! Hee hee!!!
Kurt with a great old classic about San Francisco Bay
Bob with A THIRD HMHB song for this season, two from Edwin, one from Bob, that visits many places, just go listen
Berni with an original, what else?, which mentions Bristol and environs. You may get an urge to write a haiku after...
Jim P with an original so tender you'll be doing a double-take. Go, Jim! Labrador is the place, L'Anse au Clair, to be exact
Jarvo with a real gem of an original that I'm not even going to describe, because you MUST WATCH IT (world tour) (chicken quest)
Rick G, hello, Rick G! with a Lou Reed, a la Mitch Ryder, take on Rock And Roll
AND
Deminondaine/Travels With Brindle with a sharp original that takes it's name from Linden Street in Cambridge/Boston, Massachusetts, but is about so much more

I'm not even going to look to see if there is another one since I started writing, because I CAN'T RESIST
See you tomorrow!

P.S. Just a couple of bits of business. Brian F updated his post on page 2 to include the story of how he came to be in London as a lad. Mark C posted a story about why you shouldn't use one particular word when in Portland. That's on page 3. Edwin posted a link to a song from another season I requested he revive. That's on page 7. Del posted a helpful and quite entertaining video song suggestion for anyone casting about. Albuquerque is the place name that would qualify you. The video is...very interesting. I am holding out for Weird Al's Albuquerque. I'm looking at you. You know who you are. Thanks, all!

I lived in the Yukon (Whitehorse) for about 10 years (1988 - 1998).
Of the places mentioned in this song (Canol Road - Stan Rogers), I've been to all of them

Carmacks, Haines, and Carcross. Teslin and Johnson's Crossing.
I've driven the Canol Road from Ross River to Johnson's Crossing.

I've also spent many nights in the Kopper King pub.
I may have been on stage the band was "not hot" - LOL.
(well that can't really be true, the song was released in 1981)

This song is pretty challenging for me. I've been working all week to write it out, transpose, and learn it as best I could.

I even got into costume for this video (the hat, which I acquired while I lived in the Yukon).
Now that I've done the Yukon video I'll be glad to shave again!

Chris Isaak had an album by this name in 1993. The title track

You're very good at coaxing songs out of people, Liz! Here's the one I did at the open mic last night. As I said, I was a bit hesitant to post this, because it really feels to me like it should be sung in a Scottish accent, especially given the topic of the song. It's about Scotland's long history of emigration, and wishing it wasn't that way. It's a sad song (most of my favourites are) and should perhaps be sung with a bit more anger and sadness than I'm willing to inflict on my neighbours. Anyway, I like singing it, so here it is.



My twin brother joined in for the chorus and added a few diddly-hups here and there.

I've been to a few of the places in this song. The nearest one to me is Methil, home of East Fife football club, also known as "East Fife 5 Forfar 4" (or, occasionally, East Fife Nil. Ho ho.)

re: Stan Rogers.

I am grateful for this week's theme because it gave me a chance to hear more music by Stan Rogers.
Stan is the composer of one of Canada's songs that is so popular, it is considered by many to be our second national anthem. That song is called "North West Passage" and I (as well as I believe every Canadian) know it well.
(That along with the Hockey Night in Canada theme song, being another "second anthem".)

Because of this season, I listened to more of Stan's music, and for that I thank the UU, and this season's host.
I still have a lot to listen to as well.

Thank You!

Gerald_G said:

re: Stan Rogers.

I am grateful for this week's theme because it gave me a chance to hear more music by Stan Rogers.
Stan is the composer of one of Canada's songs that is so popular, it is considered by many to be our second national anthem. That song is called "North West Passage" and I (as well as I believe every Canadian) know it well.
(That along with the Hockey Night in Canada theme song, being another "second anthem".)

Because of this season, I listened to more of Stan's music, and for that I thank the UU, and this season's host.
I still have a lot to listen to as well.

Thank You!

Click to expand...

A few years ago. CBC Radio had a listeners' Poll to find the symbolic Canadian song. NW Passage was a finalist, but at the top of the poll was Ian Tyson's Four Strong Winds.

Dedicated to Vermont USA, which we both have enjoyed visiting or living in over the years. Thanks again, Liz!

Two weeks in a row now that I havent managed to learn the song I set out to, transposed sheet music for etc. I am sorry to miss the season, but I have listened to the playlist, good stuff there!

Another one from my album-to-be, once again set at Harvard. I never attended Harvard as a student, but I walked through the Yard and passed through Bradstreet Gate to get to the bus stop or to work.

Another homemade song... A gazillion years ago, when the world and I were young, I went on a riding holiday with a company called Northumbria Riding Holidays. My first week was Learn to Ride, or in my case, learn to just stay on, while the horse goes where he likes! Week Two was Trail Riding - I joined a group of much more experienced riders, we all stayed together at the Dale Hotel in Allendale, and rode out, in every kind of weather, for wonderful long days on the moors. The horses I rode were all delightful, and luckily knew exactly what they were doing, even if I didn't! Originally, Northumbria was a mediaeval Anglo-Saxon Kingdom, the name means "the people and land north of the Humber"... in modern times the name refers to Northumberland, County Durham, and Tyne and Wear. Blah... long story short - gorgeous part of the country. Very clever horses.

Original song featuring the Griffs! Thanks Del and Kevin!!

Anight at a campsite near Boulder, Co.