StuartEstell

It'll be available in independent record shops on Record Store Day (not sure of the date this year) and yes, it's vinyl-only. I would imagine you'll be able to get copies online after Record Store Day - that has seemed to be the way it goes for the last few years.

Hello all, Here's news of a release for this year's Record Store Day to which I have contributed - http://earthrecordings.tumblr.com/post/113274727433/earth-recordings-are-extremely-proud-to-announce It's a triple LP, pressed on heavy vinyl, so it'll weigh a ton. It features my version of "Just as the Tide was Flowing" and a duo with the comedian Stewart Lee singing "Polly on the Shore". I play my Jeffries duet on both tracks.

Absolutely hilarious. Thank you!

I dunno, but the bellows were huge

All, A brief note to say that I've just been to fetch the Demented Typewriter (my Jeffries duet) from Andrew Norman, with whom it has been on its holidays for a while. He's given it a thorough overhaul and I can honestly say it's like playing a different box. It used to feel very much like it had two dynamic settings - on and off, a bit like a bass trombone. Now, the reeds actually speak well at low volumes, meaning that I'll be able to use it for song accompaniment without bellowing quite so much! Based on this experience I'd heartily recommend Andrew for repair work. As a bonus, he gave me a tour of the windmill he is currently restoring - the view from the top across Shropshire was really beautiful.

I didn't, Lukasz, but have listened - good fun. Definitely "Finnish Drinking Metal"! I noticed in their wikipedia article that humppa is mentioned - you can really hear it in some of their stuff.

My friend Chris has done an ambient remix of this - he's not added any samples, just used the concertina sounds as raw material... https://soundcloud.com/brumcast/dnp-remixes-stuart-estells-concertina-cover-of-burzum-belus-deod

Well, thanks for listening anyway Jim - it probably won't surprise you that my enthusiasm for metal rivals my enthusiasm for the folk tradition!

My Norwegian is non-existent I'm afraid...

(I should have added - that's fantastic progress for three weeks.)

One day I knew I'd find a use for those extra buttons with Ab on the pull... This is a version of "Belus Doed" by Burzum. Intense repetition intact, buzzsaw guitars, drums, and burning-alive-down-the-bottom-of-a-well vocals gone and replaced with a frosty chorale and, er, morris jig. https://soundcloud.com/lachenaliamusic/belus-doed-burzum-cover

Great stuff - the self-taught reel has a really nice feel to it.

Yes, welcome to the madhouse! These strange hexagons/octagons/dodecahedrons are extremely addictive.

Hello Bruce, Thanks for this. For better quality recordings, if multi-tracking I use a four-input USB interface into my Mac so that I can strategically position microphones all over the place, and use Logic for processing the audio. Other than that I have a Zoom hand-held digital recorder which in the right venue and with a cannily-positioned mic-stand is remarkably effective given how little it cost. But for zero latency between recording and uploading to the interweb the phone wins every time if the recording's just a "sketch" - in which case I'm unlikely to do any post-processing at all. I wonder, actually, if I position the phone the way I would the Zoom, whether that might offer an improvement without buying any additional kit. Thanks for getting me thinking. I'll get the gaffa tape out

Yes Jim - it's related to the Black Joke, apparently. Roger: they share the apple tree motif and the "If you want any more you can sing it yourself" so again I'd assume they come from the same source originally...

Thanks Bruce - yes, agreed. This was a "phone on the piano's music stand recording". If I were recording it properly I'd use more microphones in a larger space!

Thanks Adrian - glad you enjoyed it, and yes, my only experience of needles is entirely medical! I agree - covers that are complete deconstructions can be more successful/acceptable for exactly the reasons you describe. I would also include the group Nouvelle Vague who do lounge versions of just about anything, or madcap Finns Elakelaiset, who turn everything into "humppa".

Thank you Wolf!

Absolutely. It's a lovely idea but I'd imagine it causing a fair few injuries...

Thank you all for listening - glad to have generated some discussion. Audiences' expectations of cover versions are interesting. I like to try and put a different spin on things, otherwise for me listeners might as well be hearing existing versions. But of course, when it's a song that people hold dear (and this is definitely one of those), there's always the chance of out-and-out dislike for a version that doesn't accord with their emotional expectations of it. Lukasz, you're keen for the chorus to be delivered strongly, however for me, it's the chorus where the emotional collapse happens in the lyrics - "What have I become, my sweetest friend?" - the language is gentle and questioning, and full of regret. Although you're referring to the audience's attention, it's interesting that you use the phrase "losing the grip" in describing my approach to the chorus, because that's exactly what I think the lyric does at that point. As for my singing being "polite" compared with either Cash or Reznor - I'd prefer "laconic" or "neutral" but I take your point, and that's very much a conscious decision on my part, influenced by my admiration for the likes of Shirley Collins and Nic Jones. Robin - lovely story, thanks. I think it's one of those songs that Cash truly made his own.

Thanks for your feedback Ruediger. I always incline towards minimal accompaniments, even if using more instrumentation - and yes, I acknowledge that some people find that unpalatable. You'd hate my 18-minute version of Barbara Allen

I find this song difficult to play live without getting swept up in the emotion of it, and haven't done so for nigh on ten years. In the meantime my voice has changed a bit so I've had to rearrange it and drop it down a tone. I've played it here on my big Maccann duet instead of anglo. https://soundcloud.com/lachenaliamusic/hurt

I've been resurrecting some of my traditional repertoire recently - I'd forgotten about this grim little song until I listened to Son Of Morris On at the weekend. The verse with the hatchet is particularly unpleasant! https://soundcloud.com/lachenaliamusic/as-i-was-walking-to-banbury

I wouldn't say that it "lacks performance", it simply has a different character from that which most players want. You might well find someone who wants a box for singing who would dearly love a baritone with brass reeds for their sweet tone, but it may reduce your market a bit.

It may well seem an unnecessary complication, but I think of the Maccann and Jeffries duets as being as different from one another as, say, a tenor banjo and a guitar. I don't lump the duet systems together under one broad heading - yes, they share characteristics but playing each one of them is a very different experience. The configuration of the instruments leads you to do different things with them.