Job of Journey Work

Job of Journey Work

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
As one of the two guiding forces in the Incredible String Band in the '60s and '70s, Williamson offered his listeners a wide range of emotional and musical ideas. One of his passions was the music of Ireland and Scotland and related music in the United States. This 1998 album is a celebration of those songs, with all the cuts coming from those traditions. He delivers old folk songs like "Streams of Lovely Nancy" and "Geordie Gordon" with a quiet spirit, a joy that he shares with his family and friends who contribute music to the album. It's a pleasure to hear him play the harp and the fiddle with a personality that never mimics any of the great players. He is a good player but will never be mistaken for a master of craft. Rather, it's his thrill to have the opportunity to share music that makes this recording a pleasure. A prime example of this evident delight would be "Hard Times in Old England," where he and his children manage to find a sprightly feeling for this ultimately sad song. While this does hearken back to the old ISB sound, on this work the songs are the real core of it, and Williamson seems to feel privileged to be allowed to convey them to you on this easygoing, home-produced record. You might also like to give a listen to the companion CD to this release, Ring Dance, which features the darker, poetic side of Williamson's talents. --Louis Gibson

Tracks:

The Banks Of Bunclody
Hard Times In Old England/Monie Musk
Geordie Gordon
The Black Horse
William Taylor
Nottamun Town
The May Morning Dew
Bold Riley-O
These Old Shoes/Miss Macleod's Reel
Riding Down To Portsmouth
Ye've Lain Wrang
A Job Of Journey Work
The Streams Of Lovely Nancy
Brown Skin Girl
Hughie The Graham
Toderoday
Don't Let Your Deal Go Down
Rothesay Bay

Amazon.com

As one of the two guiding forces in the Incredible String Band in the '60s and '70s, Williamson offered his listeners a wide range of emotional and musical ideas. One of his passions was the music of Ireland and Scotland and related music in the United States. This 1998 album is a celebration of those songs, with all the cuts coming from those traditions. He delivers old folk songs like "Streams of Lovely Nancy" and "Geordie Gordon" with a quiet spirit, a joy that he shares with his family and friends who contribute music to the album. It's a pleasure to hear him play the harp and the fiddle with a personality that never mimics any of the great players. He is a good player but will never be mistaken for a master of craft. Rather, it's his thrill to have the opportunity to share music that makes this recording a pleasure. A prime example of this evident delight would be "Hard Times in Old England," where he and his children manage to find a sprightly feeling for this ultimately sad song. While this does hearken back to the old ISB sound, on this work the songs are the real core of it, and Williamson seems to feel privileged to be allowed to convey them to you on this easygoing, home-produced record. You might also like to give a listen to the companion CD to this release, Ring Dance, which features the darker, poetic side of Williamson's talents. --Louis Gibson

Customer Reviews:

Williamson's Rough Bardic Voice Enchants.......2002-09-01

I received this CD 2 days ago and have listed to it four times already. I first ran into Robin williamson on the Flying Fish Label with his Songs of Love and Parting. I found myself enjoying Williamson's smokey voice-- I would call it a whiskey voice-- melodic but with a distinct burr to the edge.

It works very well to make this collection of traditional songs a very pleasurable listening experience

Williamson leaves his mark on all songs.......1998-10-05

"A Job of Journey Work" is a fine collection of traditionals, all of which are meaningful to Williamson himself - as he states in the accompanying booklet, which also features a rare family portrait and a photo of a beaming Robin posing with his wife Bina. All 18 songs get the familiar Williamson treatment, some with more surprising arrangements than others.

His family members also have a part to play on this cd, most notably his wife and daughter. Their vocal contributions, though charming, only fare well with "Hard times in Old England", I'm afraid.

For me, the winners in this collection are "William Taylor", "The May Morning Dew", "A Job of Journey Work", "The Banks of Bunclody", "Rothesay Bay" and the more unusual "Brown Skin Girl". Some songs are a marriage between the tune of one song and the lyrics of another - but why ? And is this a sound strategy ?

In all, this is a very enjoyable cd which all Williamson fans should buy (they've got a lot to buy these days)- but I hope he considers this a nice diversion and continues on the tale-telling track of "Mirrorman's Sequences" and "Gems of Celtic Story" - for it seems to me that after his great and glorious journeys into the realm of Music, he must inevitably turn towards his homeland - the Land of Myth and Story.

Hans Wigman

Music Review: