A Singsong and a Scrap
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| Allmusic |   link |
A Singsong and a Scrap is the 12th studio album by Chumbawamba released in 2005. It shows more folk influence than their previous album Un and features guest appearances from folk musicians such as Coope Boyes and Simpson, Andy Cutting and John Jones and Ian Telfer of Oysterband. The first single to be taken from the album is "Fade Away".
Track listing
All songs written, arranged and produced by Chumbawamba, except 8 and 11:
| # | Song Name | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Laughter in a Time of War" | 2:46 | With vocals by John Jones |
| 2 | "William Francis" | 3:39 | |
| 3 | "By and By" | 4:31 | A tribute to Swedish-American labour activist Joe Hill; vocals by John Jones |
| 4 | "You Can (Mass Trespass, 1932)" | 4:38 | About the Mass Trespass of Kinder Scout that led to land access reform in the UK |
| 5 | "Walking into Battle With the Lord" | 2:56 | With vocals by John Jones & Coope, Boyes & Simpson |
| 6 | "When Alexander Met Emma" | 3:10 | About anarchists Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman |
| 7 | "Fade Away (I Don't Want To)" | 3:10 | |
| 8 | "Bankrobber" | 2:07 | Acapella The Clash cover; Written by Strummer/Jones; vocals by Coope, Boyes & Simpson |
| 9 | "Learning to Love" | 3:12 | |
| 10 | "The Land of Do What You're Told" | 4:19 | With vocals by Coope, Boyes & Simpson |
| 11 | "Bella Ciao" | 1:34 | Traditional Italian song, arranged by Chumbawamba; recorded in the wake of the controversial death of activist Carlo Giuliani in Genoa |
| 12 | "Smith and Taylor" | 4:00 | |
| 13 | "The Untraditional" | 1:56 | hidden track; A song about forbidden love in the English folk tradition. Any mention of the track on the package was omitted to reinforce the "taboo" subject nature and "because it tries to make its point in a very quiet way" |
Personnel
All instruments and voices
- Jude Abbott
- Lou Watts
- Boff Whalley
- Neil Ferguson
With
- John Jones & Barry Coope, Jim Boyes & Lester Simpson – Vocals
- Winkie Thin – Accordion on 1, 4, 7, 10, 12; Whistling on 6; Cello on 9
- Richard Ormrod – Accordion on 3; Mellophone on 12
- Andy Cutting – Melodeon on 2,9
- James O'Grady – Uillean pipes on 3, 13; Whistle on 2
- Ian Telfer – Fiddle on 7, 10
References
- Chumbawamba news [1]
External links
- A Singsong and a Scrap at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)