As I'm from Scarborough it seemed fitting that we should do this at some time!
According to Wikipedia, the song is related to a fair that was held in the 1500s starting every year on August 15th and lasting 45 days until the end of September.
This is actually our studio audio version set to some pix of mine of Scarborough, Whitby, North Yorkshire Moors and the countryside just outside Scarborough where I grew up (East / West Ayton.)
ABOUT THE SLIDES (a mini-tour of my 'homeland'...):
The slides are sequenced in the order of Scarborough, North Yorkshire Moors, Whitby, Lastingham church, East Ayton castle and finally - a bit of artistic licence - a few from where we live now near Minchinhampton in south Gloucestershire (taken at the country fair in Minchinhampton).
This part of Yorkshire has a strong folk music tradition and there is now a major well respected festival at Whitby every summer as well as numerous ongoing weekly clubs dotted around including Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay and West Ayton. (The well-known and well-patronised Black Swan at York also.)
The club at West Ayton is held on Thursdays at the Forge Valley hotel and Allex and I try and visit when we're travelling through.
Scarborough has its main roots in Viking history. The town is set on cliffs above the sea and has two bays separated by a headland on which stands the castle.
It became prominent as a seaside spa town in Victorian times and many fine Victorian buildings remain - especially in the South Cliff area. Sadly, many of the interesting ones in the town centre were demolished in the70's and replaced with depressing concrete.
This particular stretch of coastline is suffering from severe erosion and a well-known hotel on the south cliff made a dramatic exit in the 1990s when it slipped into the sea. (I am reminded of this everytime we play Richard Shindell's wonderful song 'The Island'.)
Scarborough and Whitby (to the north) are set about 20miles apart on the North east coast of Yorkshire separated by wild rugged Jurassic coastline and an inland expanse of national park moorland.
Travelling across the moors to Whitby will take you passed the national defence establishment at Fylingdales (famous for its three white 'Golf Balls' - which were actually radar housings - now long since gone and replaced by a single 'Pyramid').
In the early-mid 60's my godfather (John Smith - I kid you not!) was the village bobby (policeman) in a tiny moorland village close to where the 'Heartbeat' TV series is set in Goathland ('Aidensfield' in the series - obligatory pix of the 'Aidensfield Arms', 'Scripps Garage' and the Ford Anglia police car are included).
My godmother ran the local dance and drama school for many years (Bensons) and can still often be seen hamming it up as an extra in various 'Heartbeat' episode re-runs.
Whitby is the home of Captain James Cook and has whaling and smuggler traditions - as well as being the inspiration for Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'.
You will see in the Whitby pix the dark foreboding ruins of Whitby Abbey which sit above the harbour and provide a suitable point of focus for the many visiting Goths and Dracula devotees.
Moving south back inland towards Pickering, one of the real gems to visit is Lastingham church. Dating to around 1078AD, apart from the wonderful architecture, there is also a crypt with the shrine to Cedd who brought Christianity to the North East and is buried beneath. (These pix were taken at Easter 2009 and feature the amazing 'Angel' suspended from the church's vaulted roof.)
Finally, the last few pix are of Minchinhampton country fair in South Gloucestershire which is where we currently live. (The stone building on 'stilts' to the right of the Morris dancers pic is Minchinhampton Market House where Richard Shindell played in 2007 and will be doing so again on Sept 2nd. 2010).
The final pic is a slightly over-exposed one of me (in terms of lighting...!) that Alex took of me sitting precariously perched on a gate near East Ayton castle in Yorkshire.
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accidentally clicked on this twice. You sound great singing it in rounds with yourself, LOL
bkerbis 1 year ago
Sounds like somw kind of evil 1960's brain washing programme :)
mheads2 1 year ago
Way Cool!!!!
bkerbis 1 year ago
Thanks :)
Alex re-recorded her vocal on Tueday as was not happy.
Should have the audio verison on the main website in next few days.
mheads2 1 year ago