Harvey Reid Vocals, 6-string, 12-string & slide guitars, autoharp, bouzouki, mandolin, mandocello, lap steel
SPECIAL THANKS Elizabeth Reid, Brian Reid, Terry Kuhn, Lynn Rothermich, Rick Watson, Brian Silber, Joyce Andersen, Rich Warren, Ron Freeland, Thane Tierney, Tom Daly, Mary Sternitzky, Jeff Hickey, Taylor Guitars, Deering Banjos, Larrivee Guitars, Toby Mountain.
INSTRUMENTS
G= 1975 Gallagher mahogany serial #762 • T=Taylor 1984 Model 810 cutaway serial #3086 • T2=Taylor 1990 Model 810 cutaway (gray) serial #10500 • T12=Taylor 1987 maple jumbo cutaway serial #5460 • L1=Larrivee 1992 Model C-10 serial #11965 • L2= Larrivee 1995 Model C-10 serial #14352 • L3= Larrivee 1999 Model LS-05 serial #27236 • B= Deering 1988 Model MB6 serial #0200 • N=1970’s Dobro Metal body serial #0410 • M=1970’s Mosrite Dobro wood body serial #51128 • O=1992 Trinity College Octave Mandolin TM-325 serial #9265 • G12= Gibson B-45 12-string serial # 390542-2 • MC =1999 Ovation mandocello serial # 9117 • S= Supro lap steel #T62886
CREDITS
Y=Woodpecker Studios, York, ME • C=The Cottage, near Bath ME?• FT=Fishtraks, 62 Congress St. Portsmouth NH • P= The Press Room, 77 Daniel St. Portsmouth NH • TR=TRACK Studios, Silver Spring MD, recorded by Ron Freeland • PR=9 Prospect St. #5 Portsmouth NH • FP=flatpick • FGP=Fingerpicks • BF=Bare finger • Mastering Northeastern Digital Engineering H. Reid except FT &TR. Graphics: Eileen Healy, Aphro Graphics Cover Photos Nancy Wyatt, Terry Kuhn
Personnel
Brian Silber violin, viola (I-5, V-3, V-5, V-17) • Lynn Rothermich harmony vocals (V-3, V-12, V-14) • Joyce Andersen violin, vocals (I-16, V-19, V-20) • David Surette guitar (I-12) • T.S. Baker harmony vocal (V-17) • Rick Watson guitar, keyboard, harmony vocals (V-3, V-6, V-8, V-9, V-15) • Al Petteway bass (V-3) • Robbie Flint pedal steel (V-3) • Dave Kiphuth banjo (V-8) • Gary Sredzienski accordion (V-17) • Kent Allyn bass (V-17) • Carl Stahl (Bob Cannon) bass (V-8)
(*) A partial capo was used on the guitar. http://www.partialcapo.com

All selections traditional or CP1980-2002 by Harvey Reid (Quahog Music, BMI) except I’ve Been Everywhere (© by Geoff Mack, (Rightsong Music, BMI), Call Me the Breeze © by J.J. Cale (Johnny Beanstalk Music, BMI) This booklet © 2002 by Harvey Reid.

ABOUT HARVEY REID
Harvey Reid has been a full-time acoustic musician since 1974, and has recorded 16 albums for Woodpecker Records since 1982 and played thousands of concerts across the US and abroad. He has absorbed a vast repertoire of American music and woven it into his own colorful, personal and distinctive style. He was the national fingerpicking guitar champion in 1981, and international autoharp winner in 1982. Reid is renowned for his instrumental compositions, songwriting, peerless musicianship, exciting performances, and for the integrity and audiophile purity of his recordings.
“Reid is truly a giant of the steel strings... The quality is breathtaking... wonderful twists of originality and emotional depth... a wealth of techniques and ideas.” GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE
“...one of the true treasures of American acoustic music.” ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE
“a supremely talented multi-instrumentalist ...Reid not only plays great fingerstyle, slide, and flatpicking guitar, autoharp & banjo, he manages to capture those sounds on tape with a presence and character few other artists manage.” Bluegrass Unlimited
“Harvey Reid is a one-man history of acoustic music.” The Missoulian

ABOUT THIS RECORDING
“This year is the 20th Anniversary of my first LP, Nothin’ but Guitar in 1982. This collection includes an instrumental and a song from each of those 20 years. It was not a simple matter to find the music and make the choices; some years I had an abundance of cuts to choose from, and others I had very little to work with. I have hundreds of reels, cassettes, DAT and ADAT tapes of sessions, gigs, practices, and radio interviews, and it was a big job to dig through and find and preserve this nearly-lost music. It was of course good to have a reason to sift though the old stuff and see what was there. I wanted this CD to be a sampler and “Greatest Hits” collection, and to showcase the different things I do and what I think are some of my best songs and best recorded performances. I also bravely wanted to offer some unreleased, rare and imperfect things that might show another side of me. I actually had to choose some songs because they were short, since 20 songs fills up even an 80 minute CD. There are other choices I could have made, but I hope this proves interesting and enjoyable, and I hope I can do a 40-year CD also, but not too soon! ” (Harvey Reid -August 2002)

DISC ONE- INSTRUMENTALS
1- (1982) Wildwood Flower (Trad.) [2:39] An unusual use of 3 partial capos to “tune” the guitar so it is all E’s and B’s (but in standard tuning) and the only time I have ever done this. It is played with a flatpick in an imitation dulcimer style. I never played dulcimer, though I like the way they phrase melodies. At this time I was quite rooted in bluegrass, but looking for ways to do something new, and not just play like Mother Maybelle. Recorded to Ampex half-track. (G)(*)(FP)(TR) [April 1982] from #101 Nothin’ But Guitar
2- (1983) The Mockingbird (Trad.) [3:45] I think this is the only thing I ever recorded where I overdubbed a second guitar as a duet. The lead (left) is played in C position, capo 4, and the harmony on the R side is done with the Esus partial capo. This is a famous contest fiddle tune, also a parlor song known as Sweet Hallie. The double crosspicking is something I have always liked, and have done in later years in duets. Recorded at a rental house somewhere in Northern Virginia. (G)(*)(FGP) [April 83] Unreleased
3- (1984) Lorena (Trad.) [3:13] A popular Civil War song and a beautiful melody, this one is perfect for the autoharp’s ability to state and support a melody. It also has lovely words. I added a rhythm guitar and a lap steel, where I work the volume knob with the right pinky, an old steel technique that predated volume pedals. When combined with artificial harmonics, the result is eerie. I guess playing an acoustic guitar for so many years, I love to be able to play long, sustained notes, but never could get the hang of playing fiddle. Also not sure which rental house this was recorded at. (FP)(S) [Feb 1984] Unreleased
4- (1985) Fiddle Tune Medley (Trad.) [6:52] Contains Lord Inchiquin, Flowers of Edinburgh, Whiskey Before Breakfast, and Rickett’s Hornpipe. I arranged a number of fiddle tunes for the Esus partial capo around 1980 when I started using it. I have written a lot of tunes in this configuration since then, and still do a few of the old ones, though this batch I seem to have stopped playing. I was pleased to find a well-played, well-recorded version from this concert. Holstein’s was a wonderful folk club on Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. I was living in my van at the time. Recorded to F-1 digital by Rich Warren of WFMT Radio. (T)(FGP)(*Esus) [3/7/85] Unreleased
5- (1986) Streets Of Fyvio (Trad.) [2:09] The autoharp and the violin blend extremely well, and this sound has been a part of my life for years. I don’t know of anyone else who uses it, though with all the autoharps and fiddles out there, it’s likely. This is an old song about the lass who falls for the soldier, and it has words that I know a few of: “There once was a troop of Irish Dragoons, come marching down into Fyvio...” It’s also one of those melodies that really works on autoharp, and is hard to make it work on guitar. (C) [9/24/86] from #103 The Coming of Winter
6- (1987) Resorting to Mystery (H. Reid) [4:04] Written in the studio as a soundtrack to some kind of a video, that I think was for a resort, and largely improvised as I recall. This tune is a mystery, and I found a reel-to-reel tape of it in a poorly-labeled box. I seem to recall watching a video of the New Hampshire mountains and playing along as I recorded this. It sets a nice mood, and reflects a little bit of the New Age guitar phenomenon that was going on then. Possibly the closest I ever got to being influenced by the times. (T)(*)(FGP)(FT) [Summer 1987] Unreleased
7- (1988) Off To Adventure (H. Reid) [3:23] I still don’t know of anyone else who uses the 12-string to play Celtic music. I find that it has sustain and a tonal quality that is reminiscent of the hammered dulcimer and the octave mandolin. Here it’s tuned to C#. This piece was inspired by a live bagpipe record my family had where the guys were marching, and it got louder and then faded as they walked past. (FGP) When I play it live I like to emphasize the volume swells more, since on record it can confuse people when things gets louder and softer. (T12)(FGP)(*Esus)(FT) [Summer 1988] from #104 Of Wind & Water
8- (1989) The Albatross (H. Reid) [3:41] I wrote this piece in 1980, shortly after discovering the “minus” capo technique, which still is one of my favorite guitar discoveries. I have used it on a number of arrangements, but this remains the only slide piece that does. You tune the guitar to a major chord (here it is Open Ab) and then you clamp 5 of the 6 strings at capo 1 (skip the 2nd string), making an open minor chord. When the slide is used, it makes major and not minor chords, and allows minor key slide, which normally does not work very well when you tune to a minor chord. I almost never perform this, because it requires a lot of tuning and setup. I almost finished a sequel to it in 2000. (M) (FGP)(*)(C) [5/9/89] from #105 Solo Guitar Sketchbook
9- (1990) Prelude To The Minstrel’s Dream (H. Reid) [3:58] The Minstrel’s Dream is a 22-minute guitar piece I wrote in 1984, and don’t play much anymore. (There wasn’t room for it on this collection.) I re-recorded this first section of it for a 1990 CD called “Overview” and it holds up well on its own. It is modeled after baroque guitar sounds, and was inspired by Bach. It’s a fine example of how the Esus capo configuration allows you to play with the ringing beauty of the popular DADGAD tuning, but also with counterpoint bass lines. (T2)(*Esus)(BF)(FT) [5/10/90] from #106 Overview
10- (1991) The Arkansas Traveler (Trad.) [2:30] An all-time favorite fiddle tune, and a rare successful solo flatpicking arrangement. It’s played in Esus also, and is done in 2 octaves, plus in an imitation dulcimer style the 3rd time through. Earning a living as a musician all these years has kept me from being much of a flatpicker, since fingerstyle makes more of a solo sound. I love good flatpicking immensely, though, and wish I were better at it. This was take 39 as I recall, and a record at the time. I recall playing it for days to get in shape. (FP)(T)(*Esus)(C) [10/31/91] from #107 Steel Drivin’ Man
11- (1992) The Unknown Soldier (H. Reid) [4:04] Written for the 6-string banjo, I recorded this on guitar when I was unable to make it sound right on the banjo. (I later re-did it on banjo.) The guitar is tuned standard, with a capo 5 then a partial capo in Open A. I love to hear this on the violin, and often play it with Joyce, in unison. (BF)(L2)(PR) [11/30/92] from #108 Circles
12- (1993) Crossing The Badlands (H. Reid) [3:07] Written while driving across South Dakota on I-90. I have played a reasonable amount of mandolin in my life, and written a few pieces for it. David Surette’s impeccable rhythm guitar sure helps. I borrowed his nice old Gibson A-model to record this. We recorded this in my living room with the DAT machine. (PR) [3/21/01] from #108 Circles
13- (1994) Wayfaring Stranger (Trad.) [5:33] I never had much luck making this old standard into a guitar piece until I tried it in the E minus tuning. The song shifts dramatically to major chords on chorus, and the tuning supports that perfectly. I have always loved the voicing of the chords in this tuning. (BF)(*)(T2)(Y) [9/10/94] from #109 Chestnuts
14- (1995) Pieces Of Eight (H. Reid) [3:17] I have been playing the 6-string banjo since 1988, and it still interests me greatly. Some things you do on guitar work fine on it, and some don’t. (This one does not work at all on guitar.) It’s intended to imitate some of the sounds of the melodic 5-string banjo style, and almost sounds like one. (B)(FGP)(Y) [Summer 1995] from #110 Artistry of the 6-String Banjo
15- (1996) Five Cent Cigar (H. Reid) [2:34] I have written 4 guitars rags, and this is #3, played in C position. The guitar is tuned one notch low. This was recorded by John Reynolds. (FGP)(L1) [5/5/96] from #112 In Person
16- (1997) Si Bheag Si Mhor/ Fisher’s Hornpipe (Trad.) [3:46] Recorded during my first official concert gig with Joyce Andersen, several years before we joined forces for more regular gigs and recording. I like to play mandolin, particularly octave mandolin, along with the fiddle. Rhythmically and melodically, it somehow blends and supports a fiddle better than a guitar, even when you play almost the same notes. I have never been a fiddle tune freak, but I can hold my own in a jam session on a few good old tunes, and certainly love it as much the next guy. I never tire of this tune. The 1st piece is from O’Carolan. (O)(P) [1/3/97] Unreleased
17- (1998) The Lucky Penny (H. Reid) [4:13I invented this “faux frailing” technique back in the 80’s, and have arranged a few pieces for 6-string banjo over the years, to make them sound like a clawhammer-style 5-string banjo. I use 3 fingerpicks and a bare thumb. The technique works on guitar to create a frailing effect, but I really like the way it adapts to the 6-string banjo, since it has low-end support you don’t normally hear in a banjo. The is the first frailing-style piece I have written, and it is a jig, which is unusual-- I don’t think real frailing works right with this rhythm, though I don’t know how to do it so I don’t know for sure. I found the germ of this tune on a work tape from 1991 and finished writing it in ‘98. (*)(B)(FGP)(Y) [4/16/98] from #113 Fruit on the Vine
18- (1999) Gospel Medley (Trad.) [3:48] I have been playing this medley for years, and hopefully not too much, though the tunes sometimes vary. (The middle one is Old Time Religion here.) I couldn’t resist including this version, nicely recorded at Leu Gardens in Orlando to DAT by Bill Beckett of WUFT Radio in Gainesville FL. It’s as good as I can play it, I think. Played on my trusty old metal-body Dobro I have had since 1978. (FGP)(N) [2/7/99] Unreleased
19- (2000) Pegasus (H. Reid) [6:58] A possibly-too-monumental work, and one I may never perform because it is so hard and so long. It was recorded in a single take. This is done on a 12-string, using my technique of splitting the octave pairs by using downstrokes or upstrokes on them. This one is quite difficult and mysterious, and does not even sound like a guitar- being almost a hammered dulcimer kind of sound. It’s done in Asus tuning, with the B string up to C. The whole guitar is down, so what should be A is actually F#. (T12)(*)(FGP)(Y) [4/20/00] from #114 Guitar Voyages
20- (2001) Minuet In G (JS Bach) [1:30] I recorded this on my first LP in 1982, and re-learned and re-recorded it in 2001 at the request of Apple Computer, who used it for the soundtrack for their popular iPhoto software. I have no classical training, and can’t read music, but am honored that I was able to do it well enough for this, and to be chosen instead of some real classical players they were also considering. It has a capo to brighten the sound a little. I think this is pretty much Sophocles Pappas’ transcription of Segovia. I’m not disciplined enough to play classical music, and always seem to change things, which you of course shouldn’t do. (L3)(BF)(Y) [12/17/01] Unreleased

DISC 2- VOCALS
1- (1982) I’ve Been Everywhere (Geoff Mack) [6:37] If anyone wonders how I survived all those years playing in bars, being unable to sound like James Taylor or Jimmy Buffett, this track may give you an insight. The song is an old Hank Snow country hit from the 1960’s, which was originally an Australian song, with Australian city names. I must issue an apology to the people of Hackensack-- I blanked on it in the 3rd verse. It usually just rolls right off your tongue “Hackensack, Cadillac, Fond du Lac, Davenport...” I’m not sure anyone should know this whole song perfectly. This happened at the Puddle Dock Pub in Portsmouth NH, just across the bridge from Warren’s Seafood in Kittery, Maine. I substituted Kittery for Pittsburgh at the start of verse 4. It was a rowdy bar, but they hired guitar players seven nights a week, and it was welcome work in the old days. (FP)(G) [1/15/82] Unreleased
2- (1983) Matchbox Blues (Trad.) [3:10] I wasn’t sure I had any vocal songs recorded from that year, but found a good-sounding tape of a bar gig I did that year. I don’t remember playing it like this or singing these words. I survived my years of bar gigs by playing a lot of blues, even though I can’t sing like Robert Johnson or B.B. King or any known bluesman. While working on LP #102 in Silver Spring MD, I was playing weekends with Brian Silber at Longfellow’s in downtown Baltimore MD (Mt. Vernon Square), where this was recorded. (N)(FGP) [5/6/83] Unreleased
3- (1984) The Flower Of Loudoun County (H. Reid) [4:13] I lived in Virginia for a couple years, and played in a country band there in 1980. This was an early attempt to write a traditional-sounding ballad, with better-developed setting, plot & characters. I remember that it took forever to write the first verse to this, and I remember finally finishing it in a friend’s apartment at 14 Sheafe St. in Portsmouth NH. It’s one of my most visual songs, and a good one for the autoharp. Robbie the steel player has been in Alan Jackson’s band for years, and Al Petteway the bass player is now a well-known guitarist. Recorded to Ampex 2-inch 16 track. (G)(FGP)(TR) [4/27/84] from #102 A Very Old Song
4- (1985) Slipped Through My Hand (H. Reid) [4:12] Most people know this as an instrumental. I put it on my first LP because I wanted something for the 12-string, and didn’t have anything, so I made an instrumental out of the guitar breaks to this song. I re-recorded the song with words on LP #102, but had to pitch it too high (in G) so Brian could play viola. I wrote it and always play it in F# with the capo in Open A, and this is one of the only recordings I have of this song with the words and guitar part intact. I re-recorded the instrumental for #105 in 1989. It was almost the title cut to this album, and it’s interesting to me now that I would sing and write about the passage of time and looking backwards when I was so young. I guess I have always done that. It uses a sneaky right hand roll that takes years to learn. Recorded at Holstein’s by Rich Warren. (G12)(FGP)(*) [3/5/85] Unreleased
5- (1986) Barbara Allen (Trad.) [3:46] I found this outtake from the Coming of Winter sessions, and had no recollection of ever recording it. I also have no idea where I learned this version, but I know I have never done it any other way. I don’t play it very often, but I never forget it. Maybe that has something to do with why this is the most widespread Child ballad in America. It works well on the autoharp I think. (C) [9/24/86] Unreleased
6- (1987) Feelin’ Lowdown (Trad.) [4:55] I played for many years with Rick Watson, who is an old friend and a fine musician, and I didn’t know I had this on tape anywhere. We used to rock pretty hard for two folk musicians, and this was one we used to play back when we had that much energy. I learned it from a Washboard Sam record, and he used a trio with washboard, T-Bone Walker on guitar and Memphis Slim on piano to generate this infectious rhythm. It may well be that the slapping and clicking of my fingerpicks on the metal-body guitar I do to imitate the washboard here gave me the idea to do the extended percussion solo I made into a trademark jam on “Vigilante Man.” The piano is a little loud but there’s no way to change the mix, and this is the only tape I have of this song. I mumble the lyrics, which go “If you ain’t a stone pony, hard times gonna burst your vest.” Whatever that means. I wish I could sing more like Sam. I love his voice. (N)(FGP)(P) [3/7/87] Unreleased
7- (1988) Candlelight (H. Reid) [2:21] I really wanted to include the Lakes of Pontchartrain from this CD, but it’s over 7 minutes, and a CD can’t hold 20 songs if they are that long. I always liked the chords in this song (it’s played in B in standard tuning, with the guitar pitched down 4 steps) and the way the 12-string really roars on the low notes. I just got it that year, and used it on half the CD. I wrote this in my van in Prescott Park in Portsmouth NH on a plywood Norman guitar I used to have. The 12-string I did this on is a beauty, with inlay by Bob Taylor and Wendy Larrivee and neck carving and color by Larry Breedlove. (T12)(FGP)(FT) [Summer 1988] from #104 Of Wind & Water
8- (1989) Lonesome As Can Be (H. Reid) [3:09] I wrote a bunch of bluegrass songs that year to sing and pick with “Lonesome Dave and the North Dixie Road Kings,” the “Lonesomest Men in Bluegrass.” This was recorded live, gathered around 2 mikes in the studio, with a small fake crowd clapping. The last verse always makes me smile especially. (G)(FP)(FT) [November 1989] Unreleased
9- (1990) Dreamer Or Believer (H. Reid) [3:09] Sort of a theme song for me, one I wrote in Madison WI in 1982 as a bluegrass song. The chorus hit me at a red light where Broom St. meets John Nolan Dr. It always felt right to me to do it fingerstyle, and it may be best like this as a duet with 2 voices & guitars. Both use Esus capo. I wrote both guitar parts, and recorded it on my 2nd LP in 1984 with Rick Watson. We re-did this version of the same arrangement in 1990. I have often wondered what ratio of dreamer to believer I am. There is a lost verse somewhere. (T)(*Esus)(FGP)(FT) [3/3/90] from #106 Overview
10- (1991) Otto Wood (Trad.) [4:03] My favorite outlaw ballad, learned from a band called Hickory Wind in the 1970’s. Otto was a real guy, and I met a woman once who said that when she was a little girl in North Carolina, she and her mother baked him a pie and took it to him in prison. The lyrics are almost hip-hop. (T)(FGP)(C) [9/18/91] from #107 Steel Drivin’ Man
11- (1992) Missing A Train (H. Reid) [2:50] One of two notorious songs written while driving across South Dakota under the influence of cruise control. This was supposed to be a bluesy guitar song, but the guitar neck was too long. I recently found a tape of me doing it with guitar, and it sounds better than I remembered, but it rocks pretty hard on the bouzouki. (O)(PR) [11/26/92] from #108 Circles
12- (1993) Circles (H. Reid) [4:26] I think I wrote this a few years before, and first realized it was a good song when I sang it at a songwriting workshop at a folk festival and everyone liked it. It’s done in Dropped D tuning, and capoed up to Eb. It works well solo, but I love Lynn’s harmony, which we did live with 2 mikes, and it’s really present, since our heads were only about 6 inches apart when we sang. (BF)(T)(PR) [4/8/93] from #108 Circles
13- (1994) Lights Of Love (H. Reid) [4:24] I wrote this for Joyce in 1992, and found this sweet version on a work tape. I never performed it much, but still do occasionally. I always sort of imagined it working better on piano, which I can’t play. Standard tuning. (BF)(Y) [11/28/94] Unreleased
14- (1995) Sunny Banks Of Sweet Deliverance (Trad.) [3:04] An obscure old gospel song I learned from the Easter Brothers. Lynn and I got together in 1995 and sang most of the songs we knew into the DAT machine to see what they sounded like, and I will probably some day release it as a CD, since we ended up with 16 songs that sounded great. We don’t see each other that much, but have a near-psychic ability to sing almost in perfect sync with each other without trying or rehearsing, even after not doing it for years. We first started singing together in 1977. (T)(Y)(FP) [7/23/95] Unreleased
15- (1996) Call Me The Breeze (JJ Cale) [4:39] I didn’t record much that year, but found this on a concert tape and thought it was pretty rockin’. Obviously also left over from my barroom days, but a very big sound for just 2 guys. [10/5/96] Unreleased
16- (1997) It’s A Banjo Playing (H. Reid) [2:17] My shortest and happiest song. It’s pretty much about bluegrass music. I have never heard it done by a bluegrass band. Rather than have a banjo and some lonesome harmony, as mentioned in the lyrics, I left those things implied, and you can hear them in your head. Played in A position, capo 2. (T)(FGP)(Y) [Oct 97] from #113 Fruit on the Vine
17- (1998) This Old Heart Of Mine (H. Reid) [4:29] Inspired by country music and some ancient Chinese poetry I was reading, particularly Tu Fu. This one will become more and more of a friend every year. I have enough songs from my wide-eyed youth that get more awkward as time passes. (T2)(FP)(FT) [4/20/98] from #113 Fruit on the Vine
18- (1999) Sing Me A Lullaby (H. Reid) [3:01] This concert was in Orlando FL, recorded by Bill Beckett of WUFT Radio. I liked a lot of things from that show. I never tire of singing this song with the slide guitar. It’s modeled after the spiritual. I don’t recall any details of writing it or how it arrived. (N)(BF) [2/7/99] Unreleased
19- (2000) To The Western Wind (H. Reid) [4:16] This song has been sort of an anthem for me over the years. It’s actually a sort of a sequel and sister song to Dreamer or Believer and they could probably be sung simultaneously. They are both freedom songs to me, and take me somewhere every time I sing them. I am actually more of a land sailor than a real one, but the rhythms of life are similar I suspect. My grandfather, whom I never met, was a Scottish gypsy, and I suspect I could have become one. The wind has always been my favorite element. (FP)(Esus)(Y) [4/20/00] Unreleased
20- (2001)- Will You Go To The Sea (H. Reid) [5:23] This is just a mandocello (tuned like a cello, played like a mandolin) and a fiddle with us both singing, though it sounds bigger than that. This was written after reading a history of Maine’s sailing industry, and learning that at one time in Searsport ME at the height of the age of sail, 1500 men were out to sea at the same time. Most of them were not professional sailors, but farm boys hoping to make some cash to buy a farm. The drama of that many families and loves hanging on the whims of the ocean and the weather, in a time where there was no way to send news any faster than you could send people, is staggering to contemplate. (MC)(FP)(Y) [4/21/01] from #115 The Great Sad River

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