Over ten years ago (says Tim, writing in 2005), a green-fingered friend, Paul Ellis, sowed a little seed of an idea in my head. He lent me a book of poems by Louis MacNeice and suggested they'd be great set to music.
Fortunately, that little seed landed in one of the few brain-cells that has not withered and died, and with sunlight, rain, spells in darkness and tender, loving care from Ian Carr and Neil Harland it has finally blossomed into this album of songs.
Isn't nature wonderful?
Blossom:
is now available to download from Bandcamp.
- Tim Dalling - voice, accordion, piano
- Ian Carr - guitar
- Neil Harland - double-bass
"...the poems themselves are revealing, rewarding and riveting. MacNeice wrote as if his life depended on it, while Tim's life depends on him dressing in a kilt and being sorely abused by the other two members of the Old Rope String Band. The resulting contradictions, collisions and collusions make for a very successful album indeed..."
Alan Rose, The Living Tradition
You can hear extracts from three of the tracks on the CD by clicking on the relevant play button below
Track listing | ||
| 1. | Thalassa Louis MacNeice, tune Tim Dalling | |
| 2. | Meeting Point Louis MacNeice, tune Tim Dalling | |
| 3. | Apple Blossom Louis MacNeice, tune Tim Dalling | |
| 4. | Redheugh Bridge Tim Dalling | |
| 5. | The Black Bag Tim Dalling | |
| 6. | The Sunlight on the Garden Louis MacNeice, tune Tim Dalling | |
| 7. | Autobiography Louis MacNeice, tune Tim Dalling | |
| 8. | Flight of the Beer Monkey Tim Dalling | |
| 9. | Cradle Song Louis MacNeice, tune Tim Dalling | |
| 10. | Here Am I Tim Dalling | |
| 11. | Prognosis Louis MacNeice, tune Tim Dalling | |
| 12. | Theme Park Tim Dalling | |
| 13. | Nowhere Special Andy Croft, tune Tim Dalling | |
| 14. | Jigsaw (part V) Louis MacNeice, tune Tim Dalling | |
| 15. | Song of the Box-Maker Tim Dalling | |
| 16. | Entirely Louis MacNeice, tune Tim Dalling |
"Tim sings in a true, intimate voice which draws you right in; the instrumentation is always complementary, rich in detail and overtone, supportive of the emotive threads spun by the lyrics. His main musical collaborators here are Ian Carr, guitarist on more classic instrumental albums than you can count and Neil Harland (currently performing with The Hush among other noteworthy outfits) on double bass and production."
Jed Grimes, BBC Radio 2 Folk & Acoustic