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Musicians Wanted: Gallows Ballads Project

I've just posted free audio online for the first two of PlanetSlade's genuine Victorian gallows ballads. I'm hoping these will be just the beginning of a project that eventually brings all 16 of the ballads back to life as fully-performed songs.

These are the songs knocked out by jobbing hacks in London's Seven Dials slum and sold at public hangings while the condemned man was still dangling. Each song comes with full lyrics, plus my own research on the real crime that inspired it. All the lyrics are well over 100 years old. So far, the audio available covers:

Gallows Child: Original lyrics set to the tune of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by The Hammond School's Nicola Andrew, and performed by the cast of the school's Christmas 2011 production of Oliver Twist. It's my own field recording from the show's run last month, made and posted on-line with their permission.
Audio: http://tindeck.com/listen/spbc .
Background: http://www.planetslade.com/broadside-ballads-gallows-child.html .

Mrs Dyer, the Old Baby Farmer: A 1960 music hall recording by Elsa Lanchester, the actress who played The Bride of Frankenstein, and salvaged here from a long out-of-print vinyl LP.
Audio: http://tindeck.com/listen/gqqv.
Background: http://www.planetslade.com/broadside-ballads-mrs-dyer.html .

If you'd like to help PlanetSlade bring its other 14 Gallows Ballads back to life too, why not set one of the song's public domain lyrics to your own music and record yourself performing it? I'd be delighted to use PlanetSlade as a central list of links to everyone's recordings or - if you prefer - post your track on-line myself. Bedroom musicians, pub performers, folk clubs and global megastars are all welcome to take part.

PlanetSlade Music already has exclusive free tracks from both Pete Morton and The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, so you'd be in excellent company.

Ideally, I'd like to have links to people performing all 16 of our British Broadsides up and running there, but whether I manage that or not is entirely up to you. There's no money in this for anyone - least of all me - but I think it's a worthwhile project nonetheless. If you agree, please help me spread the word. More details here: http://www.planetslade.com/broadside-ballads-songs.html .

PS) PlanetSlade also has a new Murder Ballads essay up on-line today, covering Pretty Polly and it's 18th Century roots in an English ballad called The Gosport Tragedy. Find it here: http://www.planetslade.com/pretty-polly01.html .

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Permalink Reply by Paul Slade on January 6, 2013 at 3:40pm

Now that we've got at least one recording of all the 16 ballads I started researching back in 2010, I've compiled them all into a single 87-minute Soundcloud "album". You'll find it here: https://soundcloud.com/planetslade/sets/the-gallows-ballads-project.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Slade on January 6, 2013 at 4:07pm

PLUS: South County has just posted this YouTube video of the band doing The Execution of Nathaniel Mobbs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnYpiCI78Ws&feature=em-share_vid....

It starts playing as soon as you click the link, but don't worry. I'm sure your boss will enjoy it too!

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Permalink Reply by Paul Slade on April 29, 2013 at 8:26am

More fresh audio:

The Ballad of Mary Arnold, by The Blues Professors.

Soundcloud audio: https://soundcloud.com/planetslade/the-ballad-of-mary-arnold-by

True (?) story: http://www.planetslade.com/broadside-ballads-mary-arnold.html

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC2rvheK64U&feature=youtu.be

Doc Bowling again, this time with a very different take on Mary’s tale. He’s playing here with a slimmed-down version of his regular band The Blues Professors, comprising Doc himself on guitar and vocals, Sophie Loyer on violin and Roger Chapman on cajon.

The tune he’s chosen is borrowed from St James Infirmary Blues, and I recorded the performance at a dark and noisy pub gig near King’s Cross on April 25, 2013. You can learn more about the band on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/bluesprofs

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Permalink Reply by Paul Slade on June 5, 2013 at 12:45am

More fresh audio.

Murder at Westmill, by Patrick Rose.
YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bU02wey0Fs&feature=youtu.be
True story: http://www.planetslade.com/broadside-ballads-murder-at-westmill.html

Plot: Nine-year-old boy brutally murders his infant sister. Mother driven mad by the crime.

Patrick recorded this version of the 1848 ballad as his entry for Islington Folk Club's Trad2Mad2013 competition here in North London.