Track Listing

1. Lord of the dance
2. All day singing
3. Blaydon races
4. Last thing on my mind
5. Amazing grace
6. We shall not be moved
7. Guantanamera
8. Jamaica farewell
9. To be a farmers boy
10. The foggy dew
11. Greensleeves / Lovely Joan
12. North country maid
13. Liverpool hornpipe
14. The colliers rant
15. Dance the flora
16. Banks of the Ohio
17. The shepherd lad
18. Waters of the tyne
19. Lamorna
20. Bucket of the mountain dew
21. When I first came to this land
22. So long its been good to know you

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3928 in Music
• Released on: 1994-10-31
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

British folk group from the fifties to the eighties
In the fifties, two very different groups began their careers but both were slow to really hit their stride - an American R+B group (generally known in Britain as the Detroit Spinners) and a British folk group, who are the subject of this review. Neither group challenged the other's right to use the name (as usually happens in such cases) so each is known as the Spinners in their home country. To avoid confusing anybody, I will refer to this group as the (British) Spinners.

Folk music purists often ignore the (British) Spinners but their easy-going style attracted a lot of people into folk music. Tony Davis (banjo, tin whistle, guitar, kazoo), Mick Groves (guitar), Hughie Jones (guitar, harmonica, banjo) and Cliff Hall (guitar, harmonica) were the group's members although John McCormick (double bass) often performed live with them.

This compilation provides a good sample of their music, which includes covers of traditional folk songs such as Banks of the Ohio (an American country hit for Porter Wagoner and a British pop hit for Olivia Newton-John), Blaydon races (a song about a day at the races, made famous by its adoption as the anthem of Newcastle United - it's a pity the racecourse no longer exists), Lord of the dance, Amazing grace and We shall not be moved. Also here is a cover of Last thing on my mind (Tom Paxton), showing their ability to record contemporary material. There are also plenty of obscure songs that suit their style.

If you enjoy easy-listening music, you will probably enjoy the (British) Spinners and it may arouse your curiosity enough to explore folk music further. If you are already a folk music fan, you must decide whether the style of the music here appeals to you. Of course, if you enjoy both folk AND easy-listening music, you'll love this.

Tracks

Lord of the dance
All day singing
Blaydon races
Last thing on my mind
Amazing grace
We shall not be moved
Guantanamera
Jamaica farewell
To be a farmers boy
The foggy dew
Greensleeves / Lovely Joan
North country maid
Liverpool hornpipe
The colliers rant
Dance the flora
Banks of the Ohio
The shepherd lad
Waters of the tyne
Lamorna
Bucket of the mountain dew
When I first came to this land
So long it's been good to know you