Just for the Record
Glen peters
First CD release by Glen Peters
"Glen is a one off, an entertaining album full of unexpected twists and turns from Music Hall to the power of the Sun and all points in between"
A step back in time
Glen Peters has recorded his first CD helped out by some distinguished folk musicians such as Eliza Carthy, Angharad Jenkings and George Whitfield. It features a variety of song repertoire that is political, comedic and environmentally thought provoking. All proceeds from the CD will go to Unicef’s global vaccination programme. Glen Peters discovered British folk, as a recently arrived immigrant in the 1970s. The folk club scene was vibrant, people were welcoming and he soon became involved in singing and collecting his own songs and running his own folk club. Now, 40 years later he has recorded his first CD, Just for the record features some of the songs that have played a part of his journey with folk music.

Damascus Skies
Damascus skies was written about the young Syrian boy who was washed up on a beach in Turkey and whose “picture moved a million hearts”. Fiddle by Angharad Jenkins
He was born under Damascus Skies
He was the apple of his mother’s eyes
She wished the sun would shine again
The Jasmin bloom and silence reign.
But the clouds of war blocked out the sun
All hope for anyone
Then men of darkness promised life anew
Where the grass was geen and skies were blue.

Let no man steal your thyme
A traditional song sung in the style of an early morning Indian raag. Eliza Carthy's improvisations on fiddle reflect the sliding notes with a shruti providing the Gmaj backbone drone.
Come all you fine and tender maids,
That flourish in your prime.
Beware, beware of your garden fair.
Let no man steal your thyme, thyme.
Let no man steal your thyme.

She does like a little bit of scotch
Taken from the monologues fo Billy Williams in 1910, and adapted as a music hall song of the time. With George Whitfield on accordion and Glen on guitar
Since my old woman went to Scotland for a holiday
She’s got Scotland on the brain
She’s driving me insane
She used to give me eggs and bacon for my breakfast once
But I’ve been eating nothing else but porridge now for months
Chorus: She does like a little bit of scotch, d’ye ken?
She does like a little bit of scotch.
In the middle of the night she begins to sing
Jumps out of bed and does a highland fling
She’s christened me Sandy
Her ways you ought to watch
It’s a braw brecht moon licht nicht d’ye ken?
She does like a little drop of scotch, och aye!
She does like a little bit of scotch.

Green Grows the laurel
A traditional Scottish love song with chorus, sung in different versions. Sandy Denny recorded a memorable version in 1966
Green grows the laurel and soft fall the dew.
Sorry was I when I parted from you.
Sorry was I and I’d hoped you’d prove true.
And change the green laurel to the violets so blue.

there's bound to be a row
Two popular traditional songs welded together with a lovely chorus to sing along to. Accordion and octave mandolin accompaniment
As I came home one drunken night, as drunl as drunk could be.
I saw a horse standing there where my horse should be.
I says to the wife, my darling wife, ‘whose ever can this be?’
‘It’s nothing but a milk cow me mother gave to me.’
How many miles I’ve traveled, a million miles or more.
Such udders on a milk cow I never saw before.
There’s bound to be row, there’s bound to be a row.
Trouble and strife all through my life, there’s bound to be a row.

Slaving for your craving
Slaving for your craving is a song which started life as a poem about the Chinese cockle pickers who lost their lives in Morecambe Bay. Hurdy Gurdy accompaniment by Patrick de Broux.
We’re the picker, cockle pickers, down from Fujian way.
We’ve been slaving for your craving, night and day in Morecambe Bay.
We came to find our fortune but all we found was hell.
We were slaving for your craving night and day in Morecambe Bay.

the sun is quite a hottie
The sun's energy offers us the opportunity to rid ourselves of fossil fuels and end energy poverty. Original lyrics based on a popular 1930s song.
The sun is quite a hottie
Hip hip hip hooray
The sun is quite a hottie
And she brightens up our day.
Oh it makes me happy
Hip hip hip hooray
Smile down on us your beams so bright
And show us all the way.

he used to sing in his sleep
A little rare gem from the music hall era discovered on a 78 rpm record in Brick Lane market in 1973.Guitar and George Whitfield on accordion.
Next door to me there used to be a very loving pair
They’d bill and coo the whole night through and love songs filled the air.
Now silence reigns supreme, here’s what broke their honeymoon dreams.
He used to sing in his sleep all night long.
In the middle of a beautiful dream, she’d hear him start to scream.
‘Alice here art thou? Alice I want you for my own.’
But his wife’s name was Mary, now he’s sleeping alone.
aurora
An original song to celebrate Aurora the goddess of the dawn that brings us its solar rays of hope for a future of renewable energy. Mandolin and cello by Angharad James.
Aurora we see you rising
You goddess of the dawn light up our gloom.
Give us the hope that we desire
Shine down on us atomic fire
Gardens of abundance bloom.
Slowly I see you peeping
The cool fresh morning air affects our minds.
Your glorious crest of gleaming gold
Below the mountain ridge you hold
Saviour of all human kind.
I see star spangled waters
Herons float upon the misty lake
We worship your life giving rays
They’ll brighten up our sad dark days
People of endeavour now awake.
We thank you Aurora
For giving us the miracle of light
To show your face you never fail
You help daybreak to unveil
Aurora you’re such a lovely sight

Fear no more
Fear no more the heat of the sun is from Shakespeare's Cymbeline. Given the folk treatment with mandolin accompaniment.
Fear no more the heat o’ the sun,
Nor the furious winter’s rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta’en thy wages:
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.
Fear no more the frown o’ the great;
Thou art past the tyrant’s stroke;
Care no more to clothe and eat;
To thee the reed is as the oak:
The scepter, learning, physic, must
All follow this, and come to dust.
Fear no more the lightning flash,
Nor the all-dreaded thunder stone;
Fear not slander, censure rash;
Thou hast finished joy and moan:
All lovers young, all lovers must
Consign to thee, and come to dust.
No exorciser harm thee!
Nor no witchcraft charm thee!
Ghost unlaid forbear thee!
Nothing ill come near thee!
Quiet consummation have;
And renownèd be thy grave!

lord you never told me
A song written after hearing an interview with Tony Blair who said that he prayed for divine guidance before deciding to go to war in Iraq. Electronic organ accompaniment by Lee Mason.
As I said my prayers one morning, heard a voice that made me chill.
It told me that I had to help George Bush on Capitol Hill.
Told me that I had no option, Iraq was full of WMD.
Crikey, was it an aberration, Lord you never did tell me.
The French were absolutely horrid, stopping us from going to war.
We told them it would soon be over, Arabs would love us evermore.
We passed a UN resolution, helped by George across the sea.
Milliaon marched against us.
Lord you never did tell me.
Damascus skies was written about the young Syrian boy who was washed up on a beach in Turkey and whose “picture moved a million hearts”. Slaving for your craving is a song about the Chinese cockle pickers who perished in Morecambe Bay and Lord, you never told me, is a song about Tony Blair’s decision to invade Iraq. Glen is a committed environmentalist and wrote The sun is quite a hottie for his grandson. Aurora is about the sun goddess of dawn. He also collected unusual musical hall monologues and songs from the early 20th Century and set them to song. She does like a little bit of Scotch and He used to sing in his sleep are comedy songs which are aided by the superb accordion playing of George Whitfield. Glen sings and plays the guitar, octave mandolin and traditional mandolin. Anghard Jenkings and Eliza Carthy help out on fiddle. Alan Coy plays sousaphone, Patrick De Broux plays hurdy gurdy and Angharad Williams accompanies on cello. Recording and production was by Lee Mason at Fflach studios in Aberteifi. Glen, who lives in Pembrokeshire, runs the events programme at Rhosygilwen.
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