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Post by earsoftin on Oct 10, 2010 18:37:32 GMT
Hope some of you might find this topic intriguing - if not, please indulge me for my birthday! (Apologies for the length).
‘And alright, I know Ian Anderson is a Scot’, writes David Rees in AND 85, ‘but it’s mostly an English band.’ As a schoolboy in England in 1969 when I bought ‘Sweet Dream’ as my first single I also never thought of Tull as anything other than a very English band. Of course, the name cropped up in history lessons, creating a great deal of amusement for us and irritation for the teacher, and it also reinforced that English feel. And I think at that time Tull were a very English band. As Allan Moore has recently written of Aqualung, the songs:
home in on the nature of then-contemporary English society, or perhaps just then-contemporary England, an England that is portrayed in both realistic and imaginary versions, and is strongly celebrated but even more strongly critiqued. Most importantly, perhaps, it is an England that is lived, and it is the experience of this life that finds its way into these songs
However, I parted ways with Tull for many years after A Passion Play. Coming back to them very much later, after years of living on both sides of the border, the Scottish influence seems to me very important. As we all like lists, I’ve compiled my Jethro Tull Scottish selection and some thoughts on the growing importance of Scottish themes in Anderson’s work.
This seems to me to make an initial appearance in the fragment on the second side of A Passion Play that later transforms into ‘Passion Jig’. There are then, of course, the bagpipes on War Child, but stronger traces of Scotland do not make an appearance until Songs from the Wood and ‘Pibroch’. This album still seems to me a heavily English one – I don’t buy the notion of this as ‘celtic’ music for two reasons. One is that there is plenty of folk lore like the ‘Green Man’ in English folk music and the second is that Scottish music is more complex that that ‘celtic’ label. But the Scottish influence really starts to take off with ‘Acres Wild’ on Heavy Horses. The best and most Scottish song of this period is the one which doesn’t appear on the album, ‘Broadford Bazaar’. This beautifully observed song is a nice bridge into what seems the most Scottish album of the whole lot, Stormwatch. Songs like ‘Warm Sporran’ are of course a little obvious, but it’s the range of material from contemporary affairs on ‘North Sea Oil’ to the mysteries of place on ‘Dun Ringill’ that make this such a Scottish album.
That influence continues, although to a lesser extent, on the following albums, especially in songs like ‘Slow Marching Band’ on Broadsword. But for me the best two Scottish songs are ‘Mountain Men’ on Crest of a Knave and ‘Ears of Tin’ on Rock Island. The latter has for me some of the best interplay between acoustic and electric passages that Tull have conjured up and the splendour of lyrics like
There's a coast road that winds to heaven's door where a fat ferry floats on muted diesel roar. And there's a light on the hillside and there's a flame in her eyes, but how cold the lights burn on the mainland.
Of course, these songs are very clearly Scottish in their subject matter. However, a final thought is that the most ‘Scottish’ songs might not be these and they might not be ones which feature in the list below. In his book on the band, Scott Nollen quotes Glenn Cornick on the continuing importance of Ian Anderson’s upbringing and a ‘streak of Scottish Presbyterian Puritanism in him.’ Others comment on his individualism, his fierce work ethic and his sense of order and discipline. Perhaps these come from his Scottish upbringing and perhaps they can be seen best in songs like ‘Solitaire’ and ‘Skating Away’? Something to ponder on perhaps – I’d be interested to know if anybody thinks the same (or vehemently disagrees!) Anyway, here’s my suggested JT Scottish album, tentatively titled Acres Wild.
Acres Wild The ‘winged isle’ is Skye and this is the first really Scottish song, inspired by the purchase of the Strathaird estate. North Sea Oil Exploitation of North Sea oil made a huge difference to Aberdeen but also, with a short-lived boom in oil platform construction, to other parts of Scotland, something referenced on Broadford Bazaar. Mountain Men One of the songs exploring emigration from the Highlands across the years. Wild Sporran Self explanatory instrumental Broadsword Is this Scottish? I like to think it is – islanders facing another Viking incursion. Slow Marching Band The march is a particularly Scottish speciality, and the references to ferries and pipers clinch this one. Broadford Bazaar One of the best and should never have been just an out-take. Builds beautifully from sharp observation of a town on Skye to some lovely lines about the continuity of the land: And up on the hill, there's an old sheep that's dying, But it had two new lambs born just a fortnight before Fire at Midnight Is this a Scottish song? Perhaps it’s the ‘golden toddy’ that suggests it – but this could just as well be in Wiltshire! It just has a certain feel to it that fits in this collection. But Nollen thinks it is ‘a Scottish-based romantic ballad celebrating hearth and home’. The Whistler It’s the tune here rather than the words Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow This feels to me like a Border Ballad from the great Scottish tradition, where the crow is of slightly spooky significance – as in the song ‘Twa Corbies’ Ears of Tin Best of them all for me – wonderful contrast between the folky mandolin parts and the driving rock, used to evoke the distinction between island and mainland, and the reluctant parting from the former. Some of Anderson’s finest lyrics. Another Christmas Song Not only the drones and chanters, but the ‘the beat of distant Africa or a Polish factory town’ could both have Scottish resonances. The Pine Martin’s Jig Another instrumental – something of a filler? Pibroch (Cap in Hand) From the man himself: ‘Styled around the emotive wail of the Scottish Great Pipes, this piece ranks highly in my mind in evoking the rugged and dramatic splendour of the Highlands during Martin's multi-tracked, reverse-faded introduction. One of our better blends of quasi-folk and blues-rock’. Kelpie Kelpie a key piece of Scottish folklore, added to a driving jig-based tune. Dun Ringill About a specific location in Skye. Home I think Nollen also thinks this is Scottish – but perhaps it is its placing on Stormwatch – could again just as easily be Wiltshire! Cheerio Wistful longing at its best and echoes of Burns – must be Scottish!
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Post by Aqualung55 on Oct 11, 2010 9:58:03 GMT
A very interesting read, and yet another take on how we Tull fans are moved in different ways by the music. The thing I found fascinating was that you referred to Ears of Tin in glowing terms. I don't like the song much. Never did. However, unless I am corrected, I don't think Tull ever did Mountain Men live and it is one of my favourite Tull tracks.
It was used in the documentary Fish 'n Sheep 'n Rock 'n Roll which had some stunning shots of Skye and of all the songs listed is THE most Scottish, to my ears (of tin)
Ste
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Post by snaffler on Oct 11, 2010 10:20:59 GMT
a very good case for posting the undoubtedly scottish influences on IA, but in my opinion only manifested when he moved to skye. i would agree with the track listing on this tartan Tull album and add weight to jack frost and the hooded crow being included! Corvus Corone or the hooded crow is a very common resident on Skye and not really as prevalent on the mainland having been shot by the grouse blasting gentry. I've seen plenty of them on my visits! (Hooded crows that is)
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Post by nonrabbit on Oct 11, 2010 15:39:45 GMT
"Given that some people consider that their roots are more about feelings rather than actual places - How Scottish do you feel? Patti, Co Fermanagh, N. Ireland Hi, Patti. Scottish from the waist down. Dancing legs and a tight sporran. Chest upwards I am a Briton.... Ian Anderson Well I always heard the Scottish twang from the very start and still do. It was all part of the initial courting period when I was perusing Tull. Here was a band that combined rock/blues/folk/great lyrics and humour and $h1t the singer was Scottish ;D ;D (completely biased) But not folky in the Andy Stewart/ Harry Lauder league (thank God) despite dressing like it at times no he sang tales from an English wood and looked like a wild tinker who would sharpen yer knife for a roll up Then he became the Scottish Laird and was completely forgiven for the cliche in Scotland because he put his money where he lay his tam o' shanter. He is, a bit like myself, born in Scotland , moved across the border and unlike a lot of my fellow countrymen has an affinity for England. my "SFTW" moment came for me in reality when I was walking the dog in Burnham Beeches and stumbled upon the cast of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves - Merry England heaven ;D I totally agree with Earsoftin's Scottish choices and Broadford is a stunner (stoater) however Glasgow is mentioned in Big Dipper but thats because Glaswegians were religiously going to Blackpool for their annual holidays in July and the young Ian would have been hard pressed to miss them. The ferry crossing mentioned in PP was probably more to do with passing on rather than a Scottish link ?? not sure. Apart from the Scottish link and side tracking briefly what surprises me about Ian now is that he lives so far from the sea. He has mentioned the sea in so many songs giving that up as well when he left Skye for Wiltshire.
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Post by nonrabbit on Oct 19, 2010 10:14:29 GMT
There's a gaelic poem of unknown or disputed origin mainly about the Highland clearances and the "scattering of the seeds" to far flung places and the lives they lived.
"The Canadian Boat Song is part of our heritage. It was sung by the Scots during their long canoe trips to western Canada in the fur trading days. The author of the song is unknown but he is thought to have been a 'Norwester.'
Canadian Boat Song Anonymous
Listen to me, as when ye heard our father Sing long ago the song of other shores - Listen to me, and then in chorus gather All your deep voices as ye pull the oars;
Fair these broad meads - these hoary woods are grand; But we are exiles from our fathers' land.
From the lone shieling of the misty island Mountains divide us, and the waste of seas - Yet still the blood is strong, the heart is Highland, And we in dreams behold the Hebrides.
We ne'er shall tread the fancy-haunted valley, Where 'tween the dark hills creeps the small clear stream, In arms around the patriarch banner rally, Nor see the moon on royal tombstone gleam.
When the bold kindred, in the time long-vanished, Conquered the soil and fortified the keep, No seer foretold the children would be banished, That a degenerate lord might boast his sheep.
Come foreigner rage - let Discord burst in slaughter! O then for clansmen true, and stern claymore - -The hearts that would have given their blood like water Beat heavily beyond the Atlantic roar.
....savage night on a misty island? Broadsword? Flying Dutchman?
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Post by maddogfagin on Oct 20, 2010 8:12:00 GMT
There certainly seem to be influences with that song. I just wonder how many of those Scottish songs and poems IA heard in his childhood and subconsciously included the themes into his songs.
Same too with some of the English composers and poets.
Thomas Hardy's work springs to mind as does many traditional songs, together with the works of Vaughan Williams (who based many of his orchestral works on traditional songs and tunes) and also Sir Edward Elgar.
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Post by earsoftin on Oct 24, 2010 14:58:32 GMT
Agreed - there's a whole host of influences and Scotland is just one. Has anybody seen/read the recent book by Rob Young, Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music? I treated myself to it for my birthday recently (and many thanks for the birthday wishes, by the way!) It is a massive (600 pages+) treatment of folk rock, but I think one which might not live up to its billing. It is certainly very dismissive of Tull, just some passing references in a rather dismissive fashion to the album covers of SFTW and Heavy Horses. And yet it seems to me that many of the songs have something to say about Britain (as opposed to England) and its musical traditions in a very creative way.
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Post by maddogfagin on Oct 24, 2010 21:19:26 GMT
I remember English Literature lessons at school and some of the “projects” and books we were given to read and study. Many of the books I studied I never really cared for but a few stand out and some even still live with me today such as 1984, Animal Farm, Far From The Madding Crowd etc., and the poetry of Thomas Hardy, John Betjeman and many of the anonymous verses that made up much of the traditional songs of the British Isles. Oddly enough, for a Brit, I’ve never got on with Shakespeare but each to his own. So it’s more than likely that IA picked up many influences in his formative years and subconsciously used some of the themes for his work. Rather it was that way than blatant stealing as some performers have done such as Plant/Page or the romantic moon/June type of lyric writing.
Btw, it’s mildly odd that the lesson was called English Literature at school - maybe it was to do with the fact that everything was written in English rather than being from a part of the British Isles?
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Post by nonrabbit on Apr 14, 2011 21:02:19 GMT
This is one of the best interviews I've read yet some of the fullest and longest answers from Ian. I've stuck it in this thread as one of the questions is......... Digger: What does your Scottishness mean to you? Ian: It means about as much as being English because my father was Scottish, my mother was English. Essentially I had family backgrounds in two of the four nations that make up our United Kingdom and it’s something I suppose I’ve always carried with me, a sense of Britishness rather than being simply Scottish or English. And although it’s traditional it would appear that we take our nationality after our father rather than mother. I remember as a child finding that rather odd without knowing what the word ‘sexist’ meant – it seemed a little bit odd. It was convenient because having been born and brought up in Scotland I was quite happy to avoid too much Englishness lest I get into yet another fight in the high street for being from Scotland’s southern peninsula. So, I think I probably thought of myself as Scottish up until the age of 12 when I came to live and go to school in England when I had to adopt a rather broader view. Within days of starting school people were trying to call me ‘Jock’ which I actually took real exception to. It’s a bit like being called ‘Chalky’ if you were a Caribbean second generation schoolboy. It did feel a little bit offensive and a bit like targeting you in a sort of a nationalistic way. I think for that reason I’ve never been much of a flag waver and I’ve never really taken to the idea of national pride going too far beyond the terraces of the football stadium. full interview here with some really cool pics www.retrosellers.com/features198.htm
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tullist
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Post by tullist on Apr 15, 2011 3:06:04 GMT
I would not have to guess too far that it would be you who would uncover this gem dear woman. Whatever one's opinion is of President Obama, few with working ears and heart and brain would doubt his ability to frame an argument most eloquently. A talent "the Donald" may make the very public mistake of engaging but something of a digression here. What I am getting at is even Obama may well pale in comparison to those words spoken here by a heartbreakingly wise man, means more to me even than his music, a man of remarkably pure vision, not at all surprising to me that the likes of Gorbachev might find him an engaging man, whereas apparently Robert Plant, who at least at this stage of life I like as a man as well, did not. I did take the liberty of repasting it to my Facebook page, though I don't doubt few will actually read it. I mean where's the part where he gets to telling about Jeffrey Hammond getting a blow job anyway? Anyway really appreciate it, further confirmation that I was right about this man 40 years ago, and all the years between.
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tullist
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Post by tullist on Apr 15, 2011 3:13:06 GMT
There's a gaelic poem of unknown or disputed origin mainly about the Highland clearances and the "scattering of the seeds" to far flung places and the lives they lived. "The Canadian Boat Song is part of our heritage. It was sung by the Scots during their long canoe trips to western Canada in the fur trading days. The author of the song is unknown but he is thought to have been a 'Norwester.'"Canadian Boat Song Anonymous Listen to me, as when ye heard our father Sing long ago the song of other shores - Listen to me, and then in chorus gather All your deep voices as ye pull the oars; Fair these broad meads - these hoary woods are grand; But we are exiles from our fathers' land. From the lone shieling of the misty island Mountains divide us, and the waste of seas - Yet still the blood is strong, the heart is Highland, And we in dreams behold the Hebrides.We ne'er shall tread the fancy-haunted valley, Where 'tween the dark hills creeps the small clear stream, In arms around the patriarch banner rally, Nor see the moon on royal tombstone gleam. When the bold kindred, in the time long-vanished, Conquered the soil and fortified the keep, No seer foretold the children would be banished, That a degenerate lord might boast his sheep. Come foreigner rage - let Discord burst in slaughter! O then for clansmen true, and stern claymore - -The hearts that would have given their blood like water Beat heavily beyond the Atlantic roar. ....savage night on a misty island? Broadsword? Flying Dutchman? \ Only noticed this today, who knows, maybe I was diverted by one of my more prurient interests elsewhere on the net that day, or might have been in the six weeks or so I was down. So beautiful. And again hardly surprised it is you posting it. Just about makes me cry. Thanks.
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Post by earsoftin on Apr 16, 2011 12:01:22 GMT
thanks for this excellent interview, Ms Nonrabbit. Lots of interesting stuff in there but I'm obviously pleased the question was asked. It's interesting that the question was recently asked in the UK Census about national identity and there was much speculation about the combinations of English Scottish etc and British. As an Anglo-Scot I put down 'British' because, like Ian, I also feel a mix of the two. But I can tell you that it was much harder going the other way and being a teenager with an English accent in a west of Scotland school in the late 60s/early 70s! What is interesting is that our sense of national identity (for those of us who feel these tensions) fluctuates in and out over time. I saw in the great fan club newsletter from 1970 posted by maddog (for which many thanks - lots of great material there too!) the note that ' Ian fulfilled a life long ambition and went trotting round Scotland for a week.' So that might mark a rekindling of an interest in matters Scottish that could be related to my first posting.
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tullist
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Post by tullist on Apr 16, 2011 16:46:33 GMT
I really do hope folks take the time to read that entire interview, a remarkably clear vision.
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Post by nonrabbit on Apr 16, 2011 17:50:40 GMT
It's the most insightful interview I've ever read from him. Wonder how this Digger man got him to talk so much? Some of the more lighter points in the interview are for me "Cat Stevens, as he was then, wrote some very good folky pop tunes and I think Bob Dylan contributed a lot to the concept of the singer-songwriter without actually leaving behind a legacy of great work" "Within days of starting school (England) people were trying to call me ‘Jock’... there's loads more Ears of Tin as you quite rightly say a wee boy in a school in West of Scotland with an English accent would have been subjected to all sorts of name calling and "English cousin" wouldn't have been one of them.
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Post by nonrabbit on Apr 29, 2012 14:34:15 GMT
I'd forgotten about the interview see above in this thread - well worth a read for any new members or gazers Ian lived in Murrayfield, Edinburgh. An interview from Lifestyle.Scotsman from 2006 where he talks about his life in Edinburgh; www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/music/news-and-features/i-m-taking-flutes-back-to-my-roots-1-981742#"There are places in Edinburgh especially that I need to walk around and have some time to explore just to see whether the memories I have are real or not. For example, I can remember a set of old, broken Victorian railings in one of the local woods near Murrayfield, but I can't quite place where they are. If they're still there, I'd like to see whether I can find them and hopefully those hazy memories will come back. "I'd also like to walk past my old house on Murrayfield Avenue as well, and I know I'd be sorely tempted to ring on the bell. But then again, I know I'd also bottle out of doing so. "If someone came to my house saying they used to live there and asking whether they could look around, I'd find it quite uncomfortable and weird. "But I'd still like to see whether it looks the same or stirs up any long-buried memories. Old House in Murrayfield g.co/maps/zn8bpThe Woods near his home where he played. g.co/maps/qg8mzRoseburn Primary School g.co/maps/z6dggi47.images obliterated by tinypic/2upzrde.jpg[/IMG] "When I was young and they packed me off to school.."
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Post by nonrabbit on Apr 29, 2012 14:45:30 GMT
More details about his time spent in primary school and his first love from this interview in The Scotsman November 2011 www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/scotland/interview-ian-anderson-frontman-of-jethro-tull-is-playing-his-own-tune-1-1967021“I was dux* of Roseburn Primary School in Edinburgh," Anderson says, and I feel the honour is not far behind those 60 million album sales. “My prize was a book called 20 Scottish Tales and Legends. I’ll never forget my very last day – the qually dance. The bonniest lass by far was Linda Nelson. Every boy thought every other boy was going to ask her and so didn’t bother; as a result no-one had until I did. But I have to tell you that I sold the last waltz for the princely sum of sixpence to David Bendelow – an English lad who was teased relentlessly about his accent and also his name – so he got to walk her home. Benders, I think, went into films." * top student in academic and sporting achievement.
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Post by earsoftin on Apr 29, 2012 16:54:44 GMT
That is indeed an excellent interview. This is a picture of the Episcopal church on Murrayfield Avenue (down the road a bit and opposite where Ian grew up in Edinburgh). You go further down, across the main road, and then through a housing estate to get to the primary school. Incidentally, I learned from a question I posed to Ian elsewhere that what I'd always thought, that Ian owed much to a Presbyterian upbringing, was wrong! His answer (and I've not seen this elsewhere) was 'I went to church dutifully as a pre-teen at the Episcopalian Church in Edinburgh and then again in my teenage years in the Anglican tradition'. For those who don't know, the Episcopalian church is in communion with the Church of England and very much a minority in Scotland, often associated with the landed classes. So, that's taught me to be careful about assumptions - although if you read the excellent 'Scots Crisis of Confidence' by Carol Craig, you'll see how Presbyterianism has influenced Scottish life, even for non-adherents.
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Post by nonrabbit on Apr 29, 2012 18:53:40 GMT
I diidn't realise that either thanks for that earsoftin. I assumed he was brought up with a presbyterian background however it would seem like a lot of us he has shed the organised religion yet still remained spiritual. I assume also that his memories of the Anglican church would be rekindled at the Christmas shows at Canterbury etc.
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Post by nonrabbit on Apr 30, 2012 18:17:12 GMT
“My prize was a book called 20 Scottish Tales and Legends" Ian Anderson - schoolboy i45.images obliterated by tinypic/2lddgrb.jpg[/IMG] "Originally published in 1940, this classic volume of Scottish folklore is sure to delight and entertain...l. Twenty enchanting stories take the reader to an extraordinary world of magic harps, angry giants, mysterious spells and gallant knights....." Contents: Myths and legends ( Thomas the Rhymer; The good housewife and the little people; The son of the strong man of the wood; The inheritance; The battle of the birds; Iain the fisherman’s son)
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Post by maddogfagin on May 1, 2012 8:39:26 GMT
From wikipedia: Anderson, Andersson or Andersen is a surname deriving from a patronymic meaning "son of Anders/Andrew" (itself derived from the Greek name "Andreas", meaning "man" or "manly"). It has originated in parallel in Scotland and the Nordic countries.
In Scotland, the name first appeared in records of the 14th century as "Fitz Andreu" (meaning son of Andrew), and developed in various forms by the Scottish Gaelic patronymic of "MacGhilleAndrais" which means the servant of St. Andrew. Variations of this name were MacAndrew, Gillanders and Anderson. The name soon migrated to other parts of Scotland due to the popularity of the name "Andrew" as associated with the Patron Saint of Scotland and the largest grouping lies in the north-east of Scotland from the Mearns through Aberdeenshire, Banff and Moray. Similarly it is also to be found in early English records. Anderson is the ninth most frequent name in Scotland and 43rd-most common surname in the United Kingdom.[1]
In Sweden, the form Andersson (and also Anderson) is the second-most common surname.[2]
In Norway and Denmark, the form Andersen is quite common, being the fifth most common surname in both countries[3][4] - see Andersen.
The Scandinavian forms Andersson and Andersen were often rendered as Anderson by immigrants to the English-speaking countries, whereby the latter form became one of the most common American surnames. The name was eleventh most common surname reported in the 1990 United States census, accounting for 0.3% of the population.[5] It is the twelfth most common surname reported in the 2000 United States Census.[6] Anderson is also one of the most common surnames in Canada.[7]
Other spelling variations include: Andison, Andersonne, Andersoun, Andirsoone, Andresoun, Androson, Andirston, Andresson, Andrewson, and Andresen.Image from www.celticjackalope.com
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Post by onewhiteduck on May 1, 2012 9:23:28 GMT
I have a 'confessional' to make. My real name is not onewhiteduck I am somewhere on my fathers side a bit Scottish. My Real name is ........... Andrew! But I am Welsh!! ( message to Patti aka Non Rabbit - It's not Steve!! ) ..honest And every night his act's the same and so it must be all a game of chess he's playing ``But you're wrong, Steve: you see, it's only solitaire.''
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Post by nonrabbit on May 1, 2012 14:07:53 GMT
Ha hah so your part "sweaty sock" - I always had a hunch Embrrrrace it Andrew embrrrace it ;D
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Post by nonrabbit on May 2, 2013 11:10:51 GMT
Beautiful video that highlights the attraction to visit or live in the Western Isles and to inspire some of them to write lyrics and music.
Best watched on fullscreen and listen out for the wee women stacking the peat - she must have just been listening to TAAB2.
music by Runrig
a place.."they feel they know yet they've never seen"
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tullist
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Post by tullist on May 2, 2013 15:22:06 GMT
Beautiful video that highlights the attraction to visit or live in the Western Isles and to inspire some of them to write lyrics and music. Best watched on fullscreen and listen out for the wee women stacking the peat - she must have just been listening to TAAB2. vimeo.com/46922807music by Runrig a place.."they feel they know yet they've never seen" Bless the sweet heart of our gem that is Patti.
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Post by JTull 007 on May 2, 2013 19:35:50 GMT
Beautiful video that highlights the attraction to visit or live in the Western Isles and to inspire some of them to write lyrics and music. Best watched on fullscreen and listen out for the wee women stacking the peat - she must have just been listening to TAAB2. vimeo.com/46922807music by Runrig a place.."they feel they know yet they've never seen" Excellent video by Ian Lawson. It had a similar quality to "Fish 'n' Sheep & Rock 'n' Roll ", but very surreal and beautiful. That 'wee woman' was hard to understand but very hard working. Such a unique and interesting language. At the 1:04 minute mark, there were some very cool stones in formation which amazes anyone. "Puppies 'n Sheep & Hebrides" ;D
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Post by nonrabbit on May 2, 2013 20:46:01 GMT
Beautiful video that highlights the attraction to visit or live in the Western Isles and to inspire some of them to write lyrics and music. Best watched on fullscreen and listen out for the wee women stacking the peat - she must have just been listening to TAAB2. vimeo.com/46922807music by Runrig a place.."they feel they know yet they've never seen" Excellent video by Ian Lawson. It had a similar quality to "Fish 'n' Sheep & Rock 'n' Roll ", but very surreal and beautiful. That 'wee woman' was hard to understand but very hard working. Such a unique and interesting language. At the 1:04 minute mark, there were some very cool stones in formation which amazes anyone. "Puppies 'n Sheep & Hebrides" ;D ;D ;D ;D What are those wee doggies like? gorgeous ! I forgot that some of you might have problems with english in a broad Highland accent never mind in gaelic! The wee woman says that when your stacking peat (not a metaphor) that the finished product should look like a can of Fray Bentos corned beef..... No I haven't a clue what she's on about either -I'm a Lowlander
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Post by nonrabbit on Mar 27, 2014 17:49:03 GMT
I think it's worth repeating and I don't think I'm wrong in saying that the influence of the romantic and magical Isle of Skye must have had a profound effect on his music, lyrics and sense of well being. When did he move and for how long did he stay? Never mind the scenery that makes it one of the most unique places on earth - the place names of the towns,villages and natural formations all add to the mystique and must stir the cauldron of bubbling imagination. Quite apart from the obvious songs aka Broadford Bazaar and Acres Wild, surely these places must have played a part too as he wandered (erratically) oe'r hill and through bogland. The Brides Veil Waterfall i61.images obliterated by tinypic/i5dua8.jpg[/IMG] Old Man of Storr looking down to the Loch. Legend is that the Man of Storr and his wife as they were fleeing a giant looked back and were then turned to stone. i60.images obliterated by tinypic/n2efeb.jpg[/IMG] Dinosaur footprints on the beach at Staffin - the island dates back to the Mesolithic period. Even the origins of the name of the island has a mystery about it. "The first written references to the island are Roman sources such as the Ravenna Cosmography, which refers to Scitis and Scetis, which can be found on a map by Ptolemy.One possible derivation comes from skitis, an early Celtic word for winged, which may describe how the island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre. Subsequent Gaelic-, Norse- and English-speaking peoples have influenced the history of Skye; the relationships between their names for the island are not straightforward. Various etymologies have been proposed, such as the "winged isle" or "the notched isle" but no definitive solution has been found to date and the placename may be from an earlier, non-Gaelic language. In the Norse sagas Skye is called Skíð, for example in the Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar and a skaldic poem in the Heimskringla from c. 1230 contains a line that translates as "the hunger battle-birds were filled in Skye with blood of foemen killed". The island was also referred to by the Norse as Skuy (misty isle), Skýey or Skuyö (isle of cloud). The traditional Gaelic name is An t-Eilean Sgitheanach (the island of Skye), An t-Eilean Sgiathanach being a more recent and less common spelling. In 1549 Donald Munro, High Dean of the Isles, wrote of "Sky": "This Ile is callit Ellan Skiannach in Irish, that is to say in Inglish the wyngit Ile, be reason it has mony wyngis and pointis lyand furth fra it, throw the dividing of thir foirsaid Lochis." but the meaning of this Gaelic name is unclear. Eilean a' Cheò, which means island of the mist, is a poetic Gaelic name for the island." Wiki Photos by Derek Dammann. You'd be mad not to check out his website. www.ddphotos.com/
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Post by maddogfagin on Mar 27, 2014 18:35:08 GMT
I think it's worth repeating and I don't think I'm wrong in saying that the influence of the romantic and magical Isle of Skye must have had a profound effect on his music, lyrics and sense of well being. When did he move and for how long did he stay? Think these details from wickipedia are more or less correct (last modified on 20 March 2013) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StrathairdThe Strathaird Estate was bought by Ian Anderson - a musician in Jethro Tull - in 1978. Anderson started a salmon farming business at Strathaird, which expanded throughout Scotland. The business was reportedly worth over £10 million by the mid 1990s, though much of it has now been sold off. Anderson sold the estate to the John Muir Trust in 1994, for around £750,000. The Trust also own the neighbouring estates of Torrin and Sconser.
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Post by JTull 007 on Mar 27, 2014 18:40:53 GMT
I think it's worth repeating and I don't think I'm wrong in saying that the influence of the romantic and magical Isle of Skye must have had a profound effect on his music, lyrics and sense of well being. When did he move and for how long did he stay? Never mind the scenery that makes it one of the most unique places on earth - the place names of the towns, villages and natural formations all add to the mystique and must stir the cauldron of bubbling imagination. Photos by Derek Dammann. You'd be mad not to check out his website. www.ddphotos.com/ Well said Lady Nonrabbit Some of these images are beyond cool. I would love to hike these green and pleasant lands.
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Post by nonrabbit on Jan 28, 2016 12:47:17 GMT
Could have put this into any number of threads but chose here – explanation forthcoming. I was switching TV channels last night and decided to watch Sky Arts. “Breaking The Waves (1996) by Danish director /writer Lars Von Trier – the film is divided into seven different chapters. Each chapter begins with a different impressionistically filmed panorama title frame featuring early 1970s rock music interludes.” i68.images obliterated by tinypic/zw106v.jpg[/IMG] The exterior scenes were shot in Scotland: the graveyard was built for the film on Isle of Skye; the church is in Lochailort, the harbour in Mallaig, and the beach in Morar. The interiors were shot at Det Danske Filmstudie, Lyngby, Denmark. I switched over just as Chapter 3 was starting … Had that surreal moment where I couldn’t figure out whether Tull music was in my head or coming from the TV. i67.images obliterated by tinypic/ji026e.jpg[/IMG] See Chapter 3 Great film, credited as one of Martin Scorsese favourites. A bit bleak, highly unusual and features great music. A unique blend of Scottish/Danish and Tull….over to you Equus
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