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Review: O'Er The Border by Gordon Mooney
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Some Reviews of Scottish Music
A Celebration of Scottish Music
Temple Records. CTP028.
An album containing 13 tracks of traditional Scottish music with a variety of artists giving a celebration of song (several in Gaelic) and instrumentalists contemporary and traditional, pipe band, Scottish dance, Scottish small pipes, all from the top of the present scene.
Track 1 opens with the Battlefield Band and their lovely Celtic sounding “Frideray”, through “The Duchess of Gordon” and “Silver Darlin’s” to two 6/8 marches. Track 2, vocal and small pipes in a nice combination of “Bonnie Susie Clelland” then changing in Track 3 to the sweet Scots rhythm of Gow’s “Lamentation for James Moray of Abercarney” (full of grace, this), contrasting with the Gaelic Air and Working Song on Track 4, of Christine Primrose reminding us of the singular contribution of this side of the Scottish heritage.
Track 5 cracks into life with typically crisp piping from Shotts and Dykehead in the increasingly popular “Troy’s Wedding” and “Fraher’s Jig”. Side B starts with Shotts and Dykehead, plus Battlefield, in a catchy arrangement of “The Seagull” and includes the lilting “Sandy’s new chanter”. This is followed in Track 2 by the wistful clarity of Cilla Fisher’s “Far over the Forth”. Alison Kinnaird continues in Track 3 with two Gawlic Harp solos, whilst on Track 4 “Calum ‘Sgaire” is traditionally sung by Christine Primrose.
The mood changes on Track 5 as Jim Johnstone and his band play jigs in typically foot-tapping, shoulder-swinging style. The port-a-beul and piping on Track 6 is a fitting introduction to what is for me one of the album’s highlights, with Hamish Moore excelling as always on the Scottish small pipes, contrasting superbly the air “Fair Maid of Barra” with “Drops of Brandy” and all the Moore-ish variations. I would have enjoyed another track of this. The tape concludes with Jim Johnstone and his band in great style, giving a driving lesson in four good jigs. This is a veritable pot pouri of Scottish music for all tastes, and I look forward to a sequel.
Gordon Mooney - “O’Er The Border”
Temple Records. CTP031.
As the title implies, this is an album of mainly border music of all types, some dating back to the 17th century. Gordon plays both solo and accompanied pieces on a variety of small pipes. He has conducted a terrific amount of
research into discovering, attributing and arranging his border collection of tunes, and I consider this album a ‘must’ in every piping library.
Side A. Track 1 comprises a jig, reel and hornpipe with Gordon using the small pipes in ‘A’. I do like the low G in “Wee Totum Fogg”. Track 2 has two currently popular 18th century hornpipes “Mount your Baggage” and “Go to Berwick Johnny”. Here the pipes in ‘D’ are used plus brisk flute and whistle accompaniment.
On Track 3 there is a change to the Northumbrian pipes in ‘D’ with quartet accompaniment in a nice arrangement of “The Bonnie Mill Dams o’ Norham” and then slips into the conspiritorial conversation of “The Twa Corbies”, a vocal this, with Scottish small pipes in ‘E’.
Track 5 gives us the poignancy of “The Last Cradle Song” with pipes in ‘D’ plus keyboards, then the reel “Duns Dings A” prefacing Track 6 - “O’er the Border” with Gordon using the B flat border pipes. A piece-de-resistance this in every way, musical, lyrical, descriptive in the extreme, full of contrast and some devilment with his own fingers weaving the tale and capturing the then border ethos so well.
Side B is in the same classic style and includes “The Douglas Tragedy” and the lovely 17th century “Mary Scott the Flower of Yarrow” - again the border pipes in ‘B’ used to great effect. Track 2 has three tunes including the “Broom o’ the Cowdenknowes” played with the Northumbrian pipes and full group accompaniment. On Track 3, “Willie’s drowned in Yarrow”, the bassoon and flute accompany the Northumbrian pipes to great effect in this lovely sounding 18th century air, while in Track 4, following the vocal “Lord Randal”, Gordon uses the small pipes in ‘F’. This is really finger tip playing (envy, envy).
Track 5 gives us the 17th century “Souters o’ Selkirk” plus “Seeking the Galloway” and “Jock o’ the side”. Tradition, life and gallop here, sustained piping and super gracenotes. The four tunes on Track 6 start with “John Anderson my Jo” and finishes with Kelso Lasses" with full accompaniment lots of life and music and a great end to this album.
I consider this tape a necessary supplement to the small pipe tutor now available; it is full of example, expertise and variety, and is highly recommended.
A Controversy of Pipers
Temple Records CTP008.
This album has been recorded by six of the foremost players on the piping scene today. Each in his own way has contributed to the innovative inclusion of pipes in folk groups both traditional and modern and indeed, as such may
76 Chanter
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