| features in: Album Chart of 1969 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s |
It would’ve been a great night out going to sing-a-long with The Crofters; they’re really strong players. “Killie Crankie” is rough and tough – just the way I like it. They deliver a wonderfully spirited version of “Drunken Sailor” which, looking back, immediately prompted me to write in my song notes: “this is a great wee troupe”. On the second side, “I Never Will Marry”, a beautiful traditional / Carter Family song from 1939, emerges as another memorable highlight. The first version I heard was Kristin Hersh’s actually. On the musical journey we all tread the same path eventually. Also on side 2, a contemporary cover of Adam McNaughton’s “Tear Down The Buildings” undoubtedly strikes a chord with those 60s urban dwellers who were forced out into unknown green belt territories. It’s another corker. The album’s liner notes shed some background on the trio:
“Take two boys and a girl, add three guitars, one harmonica, one violin, and a boundless enthusiasm for folk music from all over the world – and you have “The Crofters”. They had been playing and singing the music they love for over a year, when they decided to enter a local talent contest at an Aberdeen Motel. They did not win, but they did well enough to impress well known Aberdeen band leader and agent Jack Sinclair, who immediately offered them a contract through his agency. Television and stage work followed, and now comes their big moment – the release of their first LP. Bill and Eileen Christie have been married for 8 years and have a family of 3. With student friend Frank Robb (who is also incidentally a promising composer) they complete this exciting new folk group. They will be entertaining holiday makers at the wonderful Aviemore Centre this summer, and the songs they sing so well on stage and in hotel cabaret have been included on this record. They have a tremendous following in the Aberdeen area, and they sing regularly in a lounge where they play to packed houses. Although singing songs from all over the world, their treatment of their native songs is as Scottish as the Highland crofter himself. We hope you enjoy listening to this record as much as The Crofters enjoyed making it, for they are never happier than were they are singing.”
The Jukebox Rebel
20–Feb–2010
| Tracklist |
| A1 | [02:00]  The Crofters - Bottle Of Wine (Tom Paxton) Folk |
| A2 | [02:06]  The Crofters - The Roving Plough Boy (James Henderson, John MacDonald) Folk |
| A3 | [01:34]  The Crofters - Drunken Sailor (Traditional) Folk |
| A4 | [03:46]  The Crofters - The Last Thing On My Mind (Tom Paxton) Folk |
| A5 | [03:39]  The Crofters - Crawlin’ (Frank Robb) Folk |
| A6 | [03:07]  The Crofters - Whiskey In The Jar (Traditional) Folk |
| A7 | [02:45]  The Crofters - Killie Crankie (Traditional) Folk |
| B1 | [03:07]  The Crofters - Roddy McCorley (Traditional) Folk |
| B2 | [02:59] The Crofters - Will Yo Go, Lassie, Go (Francis McPeake) Folk |
| B3 | [02:30] The Crofters - This Land Is Your Land (Traditional, Woody Guthrie) Folk |
| B4 | [02:53]  The Crofters - I Never Will Marry (Traditional) Folk |
| B5 | [02:36] The Crofters - Tear Down The Buildings (Adam MacNaughton) Folk |
| B6 | [02:44]  The Crofters - Johnny Cope (Traditional) Folk |
| B7 | [02:13]  The Crofters - We Shall Not Be Moved (Traditional) Folk |
