Let's try this again

[annathepiper]

GBS on the Hoze Hounds, posted on my own server this time so's hopefully it won't truncate on people. avalonmissy and angelina_zooma, give it a shot!

Comments

[howlinhobbit.livejournal.com]

It truncated down to about a minute with me the first time. A couple tries later I got it.

Bearing in mind that the only GBS I've ever heard are the little, bitty clips in this cartoon, do you have any suggestion(s) for where I can find a legitimate download of a full GBS tune? Not only where, but which. The general style I heard on the cartoon is different than what I would have anticipated.

HH

[annathepiper]

The tune in the cartoon is "Stumblin' In", and it's actually one of their pop-style tunes. Their repetoire includes some of that, original stuff they've done themselves and occasional remakes of other bands' songs--they've done a kickass version of Slade's "Run Run Away" and a pretty decent remake of "End of the World As We Know It", for example. :) But to get a good idea of what truly made GBS famous, you definitely need to look for their folk tunes.

Legitimate downloads--best place I can suggest is the iTunes music store. Almost their entire discography is available there, both as albums and as single-download tunes; I think they're only short a couple of the earlier albums. Several of their albums are on Real's Rhapsody service, and three appear to be on the MSN music store as well.

Specific tracks and albums if you'd like to just check out a song or two... oh gods, it's tough for me to narrow it down to a very short list. But if I had to stick with five top fave GBS songs, and sticking specifically with their trad, the ones you should absolutely look for are:

1) "The River Driver", off their current album, The Hard and the Easy. Absolutely gorgeous a capella harmony on this one. The minor chord coming out of the second to last chorus slays me every single time I hear it.

2) "John Barbour", from Something Beautiful*. Arguably my all time favorite song sung by Sean McCann, and the only song any member of GBS sings entirely solo. The man has magnificent pipes. ^_^

3) Any version of "General Taylor" you can find. There are three on various albums. The original studio version is on either up or Rant and Roar, and live performances are on Road Rage and The Great Big CD. Again with the gorgeous multi-part a cappella harmony, and again with the fabulous pipes of Mr. McCann. (He does a lot of the singing on the hardcore GBS trad, whereas Alan Doyle tends to do the lighter trad stuff and most of the pop ditties.)

4) "Mari-Mac". Our jamming group was very fond of this one. :) Different versions on the same albums as for "General Taylor". This is another McCann ditty, and if you want to hear the fastest possible GBS take of it, get the one off Road Rage. We played it about that fast in Jam, but not very often!

5) "Lukey". Again, different versions abound, but I think my favorite remains the live take on Road Rage. Back to Alan Doyle for this one, and it's perhaps one of my very favorite live GBS ditties. Footstomping, hand-clapping, hundreds of people bellowing "A HA ME BOYS A RIDDLE AYE DAY" fun. :)

[mistwolf.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this, I've been wondering the same, having only heard 'Captain Kidd'. Which I loved. :)

[annathepiper]

You are very welcome! And yeah, "Captain Kidd" is a spiffy song. Another one of Alan's! And fun performed live, as well. :)

[mari-mac1109.livejournal.com]

I have been trying to get this file for AGES.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! *Great Big Squee!*

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

[annathepiper]

You're most welcome!

And now that I am reminded of where this one girl's screencaps are off the cartoon, there WILL be icons some time this weekend. >:)