#999. Lineage of Song: “Captain Kidd”

 

Great Big Sea

I really did toss a bunch of GBS here in the countdown to the thousandth post, which is also the secret origin of my return to Scouring Monk, which I had all but abandoned, letting it lie fallow for a year, and then deciding to jumpstart it, and then realizing a regular gig could be had out of “Lineage of Song.” Not exactly the post-A to Z heyday, but that’s okay. 

Anyway, “Captain Kidd” is one of those sea shanties that makes its lineage pretty clear. Sue me for enjoying the ability to find pleasure in links to the past.

#998. Lineage of Song: “The River Driver”

 

Great Big Sea

One of my very favorite GBS songs.

#997. Lineage of Song: “John Barbour”

 

Great Big Sea

One of my very favorites from GBS, the best track, ironically, from the Something Beautiful album, the one marking the departure of Darrell Power from the band for having drifted too far away from its folk origins.

#996. Lineage of Song: “Scolding Wife”

Great Big Sea

Irish Roots

Here’s Newfoundland’s Great Big Sea again. They introduced me to a lot of traditional songs. Sometimes I think I’d like nothing more than to just sit back as the folds of history embrace me in their lyrics.

#995. Lineage of Song: “Rant and Roar”

 

Great Big Sea, “Rant and Roar”

“The Ryans and the Pittmans”

The next several entries lean heavily on Great Big Sea and their emphasis on traditional songs. One of the original members, Darrell Power, actually left because he thought they strayed too far from the classics.

#994. Lineage of Song: “The Rattlin’ Bog”

The Clancy Brothers

 

Irish Descendants

Schooner Fare

Grew up with Schooner Fare, which is how I learned how to appreciate good music (and why I fell so completely in love with Great Big Sea, the only band I’ve found who did what Schooner does better), so it’s always a fine excuse to highlight them. Got to see the Clancy Brothers once, and they made a big deal out of playing “Rattlin’ Bog” as a North American original, since they usually stick to Irish standards (this was post-9/11, so they did it in tribute). Like Great Big Sea (natives of Newfoundland), the song originates in Canada among Irish descendants who formed the Irish Rovers.

Irish Rovers

#993. Lineage of Song: “She Loves You”

 

“She Loves You”

“All You Need is Love”

Here’s a twist, the Beatles working their own song into another of their songs. In college I referenced this during a discussion on techniques in poetry (classic literature is full of references, the most famous example being Dante filling Hell with everyone he didn’t like).